Kalpana Chawla free essay sample

Teachers Day BY vtnay2085 Speech given on the Teachers Day. Ghiyasuddin School, Wednesday 13th September 2006 Madam Aishath Adam, Senior Assistant Principal, Supervisors, members of the staff, Teachers and Dear Students. Assalaam Alaikum and Good afternoon. Today, we are here to celebrate great teachers and great teaching. As a fellow teacher, I find awkward to speak about teachers or for teachers. But, first, let me convey to all the teachers, my personal greetings and best wishes on the teachers day. Dear Teachers: Though a fellow teacher, I want to say I am proud of you. I am proud of your edication to the profession and for the personal sacrifices you make to teach our children. I am delighted of your devotion to train their questing minds, and for your inspiration of their hopeful hearts. I am proud that you take this responsibility seriously †that you see it as sacred trust. We celebrate teachers day, because we value you. We will write a custom essay sample on Kalpana Chawla or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page I want to remind you that all the parents, students and the wider community deeply appreciate your commitment to teaching and to the children. There is no substitute for education. Firstly, because its the most precious gift we can give our children. Secondly, because its the most critical investment in our future. And thirdly, because its the most effective strategy which will enable us to survive and to thrive in a changing world. Dear Students: I became a teacher because of some of the happy experiences I had in school. There were teachers who touched my soul; who helped me realize my own potential. I decided to become a teacher because I want to help change someones life. Sometimes, it is hard. We have our own families, financial life and life problems that challenge us, like everyone else. Sometimes we are exhausted by our workload nd responsibilities. This is why teachers need encouragement and support. So that in turn, we can devote ourselves to our students. Dear staff and students; On Teachers Day every year, we remember our teachers, we remember our childrens teachers. We recognize these very dedicated people. People who give of themselves and take a personal interest in their students. Teachers who have touched our liv es, moulded us into what we are today, and are helping to shape tomorrows people, tomorrows students. Just as a country is as good as its people, so its citizens are only as good as their teachers. Therefore a great deal depends on you, teachers, and I salute you, all of you, those here today, and those absent, for your passion, dedication, commitment and contributions. I wish to all the teachers a successful career in teaching   a career in which you find happiness, health, friendship and love. Happy Teachers Day and thank you. Kalpana Chawla By Vaishakhi Status Deceased Born July 1, 1961 Karnal, Haryana, India Died February 1, 2003 (aged 42) Over Texas Previous occupation Research Scientist Time in space 31d 14h 54m selection 1994 NASA Group Mission insignia Sts-87-patch. ng STS-107 Flight Insignia. svg Kalpana Chawla , was an Indian-American scientist and a NASA astronaut. She was one of seven crewmembers killed in the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster. Early life Kalpana Chawla was born in a Punjabi Hindu family at Karnal, Haryana, India. [l] She was born in Model Town Karnal. Kalpana in Hindi means imagination. Her interest in flying was inspired by J. R. D. Tata, a pionee ring Indian pilot and industrialist. [2][3]. Kalpana has two sisters (Sunita Deepa) and a brother (Sanjay). Being the youngest, the family members gave her the nickname Montu. She met and married Jean- Pierre Harrison, a flying instructor and aviation writer, in 1983 and became a naturalized United States citizen in 1990. [4] [edit] Education Chawla completed her earlier schooling at Tagore Public School, Karnal. She earned her B. E. degree in aeronautical engineering at Punjab Engineering College in Chandigarh in 1982. She moved to the United States in 1982 and obtained a M. S. degree in aerospace engineering from the University of Texas at Arlington (1984). Chawla went on to earn a second M. S. degree in 1986 and a Ph. D. degree in aerospace engineering in 1988 from the University of Colorado at Boulder. Later that year she began working for NASA Ames Research Center as vice president of Overset Methods, Inc. where she did CFD research on WSTOL. [2] Chawla held a Certificated Flight Instructor rating for airplanes, gliders and Commercial Pilot licenses for single and multiengine airplanes, seaplanes and gliders. She held an FCC issued Technician Class Amateur Radio license with the call sign KD5ESl. [edit] NASA career Chawla Joined the NASA astronaut corps in March 1995 and was selected for her first flight in 1998. that flew the Space Shuttle Columbia flight STS-87. Chawla was the first Indian-born oman and the second person of Indian origin to fly in space, following cosmonaut Rakesh Sharma who flew in 1984 in a Soviet spacecraft. On her first mission Chawla travelled over 10. 4 million miles

Brand Management

Brand Management Introduction Principle products account for a sizeable percentage of a company’s profits. Companies use various strategies to improve the competitiveness of their products. Branding is one of the major strategies that companies use to improve the competitiveness of their products.Advertising We will write a custom case study sample on Brand Management specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Brand recognition makes customers associate with the product.1 Companies may employ several branding strategies. A company may use a certain line of products that uses a similar brand name. A bastion brand is the most profitable product in the product line. Competitors may try to undercut the bastion brand by offering other products that compete with it using price or quality. This necessitates companies that own the bastion brands to formulate strategies that would help in tackling competition from rivals. Companies may use flanker brands to impro ve their competitiveness.2 The purpose of flanker brands is to pre-empt competition from rivals. In addition, flanker brands help in covering the market more efficiently. Intel is one of the companies that use flanker brands to tackle competition from rivals. Intel used the Celeron to overcome competition from AMD’s K6 chips. Celeron was a cheaper version Pentium, which was the company’s premium brand. However, there is no guarantee that this strategy would be successful. GM’s Saturn is a clear illustration of how failure of flanker brands may affect a company. GM lost billions of dollars due to the failure of Saturn. Therefore, it is vital for companies to use an efficient strategy in launching flanker brands. Companies must ensure that flanker brands are profitable. This would guarantee the long-term stability of the company. Flanker Brands It is vital for companies to respond to attacks by competitors. Competitors may offer products that have unique attribute s that may enable it to conquer the market. Therefore, failure to respond to the attacks would risk the company’s image and brand equity. Using flanker brands is one of the most efficient strategies that companies use to tackle threats from competitors. Flanker brands help in insulating the original brand from threats posed by rivals.3 A war metaphor is the source of the flanker brand name. A flanker brand helps in protecting a bastion brand from rival brands. The major aim of the flanker brand is to overcome competition from rivals. The major characteristic of flanker brands is the fact that they reduce the need for bastion brands to change their focus. This enables a company to maintain its customers.Advertising Looking for case study on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Companies often use a flanker brand if rivals develop low-cost products that strive to weaken the market position of the bastion brand. Failure to respond to the rival products would reduce the profitability of the bastion brand.4 A flanker brand offers stiff resistance to the entry of rival products in the market. This helps in protecting the competitiveness and profitability of the bastion brand. Intel Intel is most dominant company in the computer chips market. Intel used a flanker brand to overcome low-cost products from rivals successfully. Pentium chips are the most successful products of the company. During the late 1990s, Intel faced competitors that threatened the company’s market dominance. AMD is one of the companies that threatened Intel’s market dominance. AMD’s K6 chips were much cheaper than Intel’s computer chips. This enabled the chips to have a better chance of capturing the emerging low-cost PC market. Therefore, it was vital for Intel to devise a strategy that would counter the rival. This would help in protecting Intel’s brand equity. Intel crea ted the Celeron to counter competition from AMD. Celeron was a cheaper version of Intel’s Pentium chips, which had limited capabilities. It enabled Intel to overcome competition from AMD.5 Celeron’s success led to the creation of a new market segment. Intel is the dominant player in this market segment. Celeron is currently one of the major brands of the company. It accounts for a sizeable percentage of the company’s revenue. Therefore, using a flanker brand enabled the company to increase its profitability. Figure 1. Intel’s Pentium processorAdvertising We will write a custom case study sample on Brand Management specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Advantages of Flanker Brands Flanker brands increase the number of products that a company offers. This increases the shelf space that a company gets in various retail outlets. Intel’s use of this strategy led to the creation of a new product. Celeron incr eased the product range of the company. Using flanker brands enables a company to improve its brand equity. This is because flanker brands increase the product range of the company.6 Intel used the Celeron to improve Pentium’s brand awareness. This increased Pentium’s competitiveness. Flanker brands enable a company to capture brand switchers. Brand switchers are customers who are not loyal to a particular brand. Therefore, they may alternate purchases between different brands. Flanker brands improve a company’s stability and profitability. Celeron increased Intel’s product range. In addition, the ability of Celeron to compete on different fronts enabled Intel to capture brand switchers. Flanker brands enable a company to improve its profitability. In some instances, successful venture of the flanker brands into the market may lead to the creation of new bastion brands. Successful venture of Celeron into the market made the product become part of Intelâ⠂¬â„¢s profitable bastion brands. This increased the profitability of the company. Flanker brands enable a company to protect its bastion brand. Companies usually assign a unique name to the flanker brands. This limits the risk that the bastion brand may face if the flanker brand fails.7 Celeron was the name of Intel’s flanker brand. Therefore, failure of Celeron would not have adverse effects on Pentium. Flanker brands enable companies that have high quality products to introduce low quality products without diluting the brand name of the high quality products. The high quality products continue being the company’s principle products. Intel introduced Celeron without compromising Pentium’s brand name. Pentium was the high quality product of the company. Therefore, it enabled the company to compete with low quality products from rivals. Disadvantages of Flanker Brands Inefficiency of this branding strategy may increase the risks that bastion brands of a company may face. Failure of the bastion brands may have huge repercussion on the company. This is because the company may have taken many years to build the brand image of the bastion brand. Therefore, it is vital for a company to use an efficient flanker brand strategy.Advertising Looking for case study on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Flanker brands lead to the creation of new products. This may distract the company from the values and associations of the bastion brand due to the wide variety of new products. This would ultimately reduce the competitiveness of the bastion brand. Flanker brands may lead to loss of economies of scale. They may also increase the costs of brand management. This is because flanker brands increase the number of brands of a company. Competition between in-house brands may necessitate a company to offer sub-optimal prices for the products. This would reduce the competitiveness of the company. Failure of Flanker Brands In the business world, failure of business strategies is very common. For every successful flanker brand strategy, there are various cases of failure of the strategy. General Motors’ Saturn is one case that illustrates the failure of a flanker brand strategy. General Motors intended to use the Saturn to counter the entry of Japanese imports into the market.8 However, Saturn led to the loss billions of dollars, which helped in destroying GM. GM launched Saturn in 1990. During the initial period, Saturn was very successful. By 1996, orders of Saturn had surpassed the company’s production capacities. This was testament to the success of the product in fighting cheap Japanese imports, which were more fuel-efficient. However, Saturn’s success did not solve some of the problems that were inherent in the brand since its onset. The initial cost of setting up Saturn was $5 billion. However, GM offered Saturn at very low prices. The prices of the vehicle were unable to cater for the huge operational costs of its manufacturing plant. By 2000, GM was losing $3,000 on every sale of a Saturn vehicle. The huge losses necessitated the closure of the Saturn plant. 9 Failure of Saturn had great repercussions to GM. The company lost valuable time in building a brand that strived to fight cheap Japanese imports. In so doing, GM made huge strategic sh ifts that affected the entire company. In addition, Saturn made GM lose billions of dollars, which would have greatly benefited the company if it had invested the finances in other areas. Failure of Saturn tarnished GM’s brand image. Failure of Saturn provides an explanation to the current woes facing GM. GM has been unable to recapture its market share from the Japanese imports. Figure 2. Logo of GM’s Saturn Critical Success Factors Companies should consider whether they need an additional brand to counter competition before launching a flanker brand. An additional brand reduces the investment and attention that a company offers to its existing products. This provides distractions to the company. Spending precious resources on a flanker brand may have detrimental effects on a company. Adjusting the existing brands may help in solving some of the problems that a company faces due to the entry of rivals into the market. Therefore, a company should use a flanker brand a s a last resort. Failure of flanker brands may necessitate a company to implement cost-cutting or re-pricing strategies on its bastion brands. Flanker brands delay the crucial strategic transformations. During this period, the competitors may have already gained a stronghold of the market. Having fewer brands reduces a company’s distractions. Companies should also consider the effects of cannibalisation prior to launching flanker brands. Most companies use flanker brands to capture brand switchers. However, flanker brands also acquire customers from the company’s bastion brands.10 Therefore, it is vital for a company to consider the number of customers of customers that the flanker brand will acquire from the bastion brand before launching it.11 A company should ensure that the flanker brand focuses on the customers. However, companies do not create flanker brands using a process that is similar to that of other products. Companies create flanker brands due to their ow n deficiencies or strengths of the competitors. Therefore, flanker brands do not target the customers. This corrupts the DNA of the flanker brand from its onset. Therefore, it is vital for a company to focus on the needs of customers prior to the launch of flanker brands. This would help in targeting a specific segment of consumers. This would guarantee the ultimate success the flanker brand. A company should consider the profitability of flanker brands prior to their launch. Despite the fact that flanker brands target rivals, they should do so profitably. Having sustainable profits ensures the long-term stability of flanker brands.12 Failure of Saturn is a clear illustration of the importance of ensuring the profitability of flanker brands. GM did not design Saturn to have sustainable profits. Therefore, Saturn’s collapse restored the market dominance of the cheap Japanese imports. This invalidated the efforts of the company. Conclusion The major aim of flanker brands is to overcome competition. However, companies should ensure that flanker brands have sustainable profits. This guarantees the long-term stability of flanker brands. The success of flanker brands may lead to the formation of new market segments. However, there is no guarantee that flanker brands would be successful. Therefore, it is vital for companies to consider various critical success factors prior to launching a flanker brand. This would guarantee the ultimate success of the flanker brands. Intel is one of the companies that have used flanker brands to subdue competitors. Bibliography Aaker, David A. â€Å"Should You Take Your Brand to Where the Action Is.† Harvard Business Review 75, no. 5 (1997):135-143. Buday, Tom. â€Å"Capitalising on brand extensions.† Journal of Consumer Marketing 6, no. 4 (1989): 27-30. James, David. â€Å"Guilty through association: Brand association transfer to brand alliances.† Journal of Consumer Marketing 22, no. 116 (2005): 14-24. K im, Chung K. and Anne M. Lavack. â€Å"Vertical brand extensions: Current research and managerial implications.† Journal of Product Brand Management 5, no. 6 (1996): 24-37. Kim, W. Chan and Renee Mauborgne, â€Å"Blue ocean strategy,† Harvard Business Review 82, no. 10 (2004): 76-84. Lomax, Wendy, Kathy Hammond, Maria Clemente and Robert East. â€Å"New entrants in a mature market: An empirical study of the detergent market.† Journal of Marketing Management 12, no. 4 (1996): 281-295. Miles, Raymond E. and Charles C. Snow. â€Å"Causes for Failure in Network Organizations.† California Management Review 34, no. 1 (1992): 53-72. Porter, Stephen S. and Cindy Claycomb. â€Å"The influence of brand recognition on retail store image.† Journal of Product Brand Management 6, no. 6 (1997): 373-387. Ritson, Mark. â€Å"Should you launch a fighter brand.† Harvard Business Review 87, no. 10 (2009): 86-94. Varadarajan, Rajan, Mark P. DeFanti and Paul S. Busch. â€Å"Brand portfolio, corporate image, and reputation: Managing brand deletions.† Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science 34, no. 2 (2006): 195-205. Varadarajan, Rajan. â€Å"Fortune at the bottom of the innovation pyramid: The strategic logic of incremental innovations.† Business Horizons 52, no. 1 (2009): 21-29. Volckner, Franziska and Henrik Sattler. â€Å"Drivers of brand extension success.† Journal of Marketing 70, no. 2 (2006):18-34. Footnotes 1 Stephen S. Porter and Cindy Claycomb, â€Å"The influence of brand recognition on retail store image,† Journal of Product Brand Management 6, no. 6 (1997): 374. 2 Franziska Volckner and Henrik Sattler, â€Å"Drivers of brand extension success,† Journal of Marketing 70, no. 2 (2006):18. 3 Rajan Varadarajan, â€Å"Fortune at the bottom of the innovation pyramid: The strategic logic of incremental innovations,† Business Horizons 52, no. 1 (2009): 22. 4 Rajan Varadarajan, Mark P. DeFa nti and Paul S. Busch, â€Å"Brand portfolio, corporate image, and reputation: Managing brand deletions,† Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science 34, no. 2 (2006): 199. 5 Chung K. Kim and Anne M. Lavack, â€Å"Vertical brand extensions: Current research and managerial implications,† Journal of Product Brand Management 5, no. 6 (1996): 26. 6 David James, â€Å"Guilty through association: Brand association transfer to brand alliances,† Journal of Consumer Marketing 22, no. 116 (2005): 16. 7 David A. Aaker, â€Å"Should You Take Your Brand to Where the Action Is,† Harvard Business Review 75, no. 5 (1997): 136. 8 Raymond E. Miles and Charles C. Snow, â€Å"Causes for Failure in Network Organizations,† California Management Review 34, no. 1 (1992): 61. 9 Mark Ritson, â€Å"Should you launch a fighter brand,† Harvard Business Review 87, no. 10 (2009): 90. 10 Tom Buday, â€Å"Capitalising on brand extensions,† Journal of Consumer Market ing 6, no. 4 (1989): 29. 11Wendy Lomax et al., â€Å"New entrants in a mature market: An empirical study of the detergent market,† Journal of Marketing Management 12, no. 4 (1996): 283. 12 W. Chan Kim and Renee Mauborgne, â€Å"Blue ocean strategy,† Harvard business Review 82, no. 10 (2004): 77.

Evolution--Creationism and Intelligent Design Essay

Evolution--Creationism and Intelligent Design - Essay Example This suggests that the knowledge imparted upon the students should reflect the ideals and ethos of all science theories that help humanity survive and prosper. On that aspect, a controversial theory, such as creationism, that insists on the existence of human life and the earth as the work of a supernatural being called Abrahamic God is paramount in within the framework of this research. Alternatively, there is also the intelligent design whereby some believe the creation of the universe should be questioned on the basis of a scientific and an intelligent cause rather than natural selection. In other words, parents or school boards should constantly review the syllabus of the science subject in order to ensure only the right material is fed to the students. In the account, the scientific theories presented in schools should improve the both analytical and research skills of the students in respect to discovering the truth about God and other elements of the universe (Dembski, 2002). Additionally, parents or the school boards can petition the government through the Ministry of Education on the type of scientific theories and ideas are valuable for students in schools. I think the views of creationism that are primarily based on a particular type of Christianity should be given special consideration based on certain factors. For example, this will have the effect on transforming the perceptions that students have on other religions, such as Islam and Hinduism among others. Additionally, creationism is a widely accepted doctrine because of its belief in the Abrahamic God and, hence, it is a yardstick for guiding other religions in knowledge enlightenment. Alternatively, it is fundamental to observe that Christianity is the largest religion in the world with one-quarter of Christians having residence in Europe alone. In other words, the influence of Christianity around the world should encourage

A4 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

A4 - Essay Example The Canons was prepared by a joint committee through the sponsorship of the Engineers’ Council for Professional Development, a coordinating body of technical engineering societies. It was published in January 1947, with a revision published in November of the same year, in the American Engineer. In 1948, the Board adopted a motion to encourage state societies to adopt the Canons as amended. In 1952 and 1957, the Board adopted Rules of Ethical Conduct and the Rules of Professional Conduct, respectively, to support the Canons. Then in June 1964, the Board adopted the National Society for Professional Engineers’ (NSPE’s) Code of Ethics to replace the Canons of Ethics for Engineers and Rules of Professional Conduct. The succeeding years saw several adjustments in the Code intended to attune its provisions to the developing environment. The more recent and pertinent additions to the Code were introduced in January 2003 and January 2006. The 2003 incorporation was a new section that reads: "Engineers shall continue their professional development throughout their careers and should keep current in their specialty fields by engaging in professional practice, participating in continuing education courses, reading in the technical literature and attending professional meetings and seminars." The new section was important in that it made it the duty of every professional engineer to keep his training and knowledge current with new developments. The 2006 addition to the Code is section (III.2.d.) which reads: "Engineers shall strive to adhere to the principles of sustainable development1 in order to protect the environment for future generation." While earlier amendments dealt with the formal relationships among engineers, their clients, colleagues, society and their profession, the 2006 amendment is the first vital

Li Ning Company Limited Organizational Background and Audit Assignment

Li Ning Company Limited Organizational Background and Audit - Assignment Example Li Ning has its headquarters in Beijing, the Chinese capital. According to its website, Li Ning has extensive presence in the entire country. It has reportedly a reliable network of retailers and manufacturers for its supply chain, and a host of franchise owners distributing the products. Li Ning, therefore, is well-entrenched throughout the country, and has probably perfected the art of marketing and selling which have made the company successful in all its current businesses. The company started operations in 1989, the same year LI-NING was registered as a trademark. Since then, it has sponsored numerous sports delegations of China to various national and international events, where the sponsored teams brandished their Li Ning sportswear. In 1993, the company started franchising its business operations, a strategic move that helped it reach its target market in distant areas and remote provinces, thereby helping the company established its foothold in the country’s huge market for footwear and sports-related products. Li Ning is a multi-faceted business operation that is pro-active and a leader in the industry. It has its own research and development center, and a design center established in 1998. It is a proud company to claim that it is the first sports business in China to have implemented an Enterprise Resource Program (ERP) system, a system which uses internet technology that integrates its supply chain with its internal operations.

CRISPR-Cas9 History and Engineering

CRISPR-Cas9 History and Engineering A modular platform using engineered single short guide RNA to allow programming of CRISPR specificity, permitting high efficacy gene induction for analysis of gene function. The ability to control gene expression has been the key method in elucidating their respective functions, pathways, and regulatory elements; paving a way for future therapeutic applications. The two main approaches of determining gene function involve the analysis of loss-of-function (LOF) and gain-of-function (GOF) mutations. LOF involves a mutation in an allele where partial or full loss in genetic function occurs. GOF involves the introduction of a mutation which generates a new allele associated with a new function. The problem with GOF screening approaches is that theyre hindered by a requirement for large comprehensive cDNA library overexpression systems which rarely encompass the full spectrum of isoform variation. Viral expression vectors are not large enough to allow these to be cloned. LOF screening is the predominant way of analysing gene function, using techniques such as Transcription-activator-like effector nucleases (TALENs) RNA interference and Zinc finger nucleases (ZFNs). However, these are difficult to construct on a genome wide scale, unlike CRISPR-Cas9. A brief history of CRISPR-Cas9 In 1987, Ishino et al observed the presence of CRISPR repeats within bacterial genomes, but it wasnt until 2006 that Makarova proposed for its use as an adaptive immune system. Cas9 or CRISPR associated protein 9 is an endonuclease, guided by RNA and associated with CRISPR (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats). The system functions by interrogating and cleaving foreign DNA from bacteriophages by unwinding the foreign DNA and checking its complementation to a 20 base pair spacer region on the guide RNA. If the DNA substrate is complementary to the guide RNA, cleavage of the DNA occurs (Heler R, 2015). (Jinek M, 2012) discovered that by inactivating Cas9s two catalytic domains, its DNA cleavage ability is disrupted thereby creating catalytically dead or dCas9. This provides a platform for an RNA-guided transcript activator (dCas9-activator) using a single short guided RNA (sgRNA). Engineering CRISPR-Cas9 In their article: Genome-scale transcriptional activation by an engineered CRISPR-Cas9 complex, Konermann et al develop a system using programmable DNA binding proteins for engineering synthetic transcription factors for the modulation of endogenous gene expression. This allowed GOF screening and was successful in turning on tens of thousands of individual genes in parallel. To allow rational engineering of the CRISPR-Cas9 system, the structure of the Cas9-sg-RBA-target DNA tertiary complex had to be elucidated. To do this, crystallographic studies were performed. Optimal anchoring positions were determined for the activation domains. The team settled on the addition of protein interacting RNA aptamers to the tetraloop and stemloop 2 to facilitate the recruitment of effector domains to the Cas9, as illustrated in figure 1. Fusion of the dCas9 to transcriptional activation domains converts the Cas9 nuclease into an dCas9-activator. Linking the dCas9 to domains of proteins involved in transcriptional activation and allowing CRISPR to target promotor sequences regulating transcription of particular genes provides a means of modulating natural gene expression. The efficacy of this system is low causing at most a fivefold increase in activation. Tiling the promoter region with several sgRNAs can produce a substantial transcriptional activation. Konermann et al overcame this low efficiency by turning CRISPR sgRNA into a modular platform which assembles multiple different transcriptional activators. The addition of the protein interacting RNA aptamers attracts RNA binding proteins. The complex can be used to target the transcription activation domains of different transcription factors, creating a system termed the synergistic activator mediator (SAM) by its authors. Astonishingly, this complex can induce more than 100-fold activation of genes. Parallels can be drawn with the cells natural mechanisms of gene regulation; enhancers can turn on gene expression by generating long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) which act as modular scaffolds, recruiting cellular machinery similarly to CRISPR. Konnermanns findings appear to mimic the lncRNAs by orchestrating the use of multiple proteins to have them work in cohesion. Current Applications The authors displayed the applications of this response by creating a library of sgRNAs, thereby allowing individual activation of over 23,000 genes. Their experiments were centred around melanoma cancer cells. PLX-4720 is a common drug treatment, capable of killing these cancerous cells. The experiment involved activation of individual genes to establish which ones would provide resistance to the killing effects of the PLX-4720 treatment. Drug resistance was determined by calculating the relative frequency of sgRNAs in melanoma cells post drug treatment. sgRNAs were correspondent to the genes involved in known drug-resistance pathways.   This verified that the SAM technique could identify biologically significant outcomes of varied gene expression. It was determined that 13 genes whose altered gene expression produced a state of drug resistance. Potential applications The significance of the findings of Konnermann et al are a new and improved programmable targeting system for DNA by which RNA sequences can be engineered to determine specificity. Through this, single sgRNA-mediated gene upregulation can be performed.This next generation of CRISPR expands the Cas9 toolbox, further engineering may take advantage of the modular nature of this system. The scaffolding allows variation in the use of aptamers, for recruitment of specific effectors It has been proposed to replace the MS2 stem loops with PP7 elements to recruit repressive elements as opposed to activators, thereby opening the possibility of bidirectional transcript control. Further research is required to determine off target effects of CRISPR and validate experiments to confirm effects of altered gene expression. This will require a detailed understanding of regulatory elements and further experiments with gene sub libraries. Future applications will involve positive and negative selectio n screens to determine genetic elements in cells.

Problem Solving for Elementary School Math Teachers Essay

In every teaching discipline, a strategy is usually employed in working out a problem, and in mathematics, the problem-solving process is employed. Problem solving process is a series that is used to solve a problem instead of solving the problem through intuition or memory but by phases of analysis and at the same employs thinking and logic. In a mathematical perspective, there are four steps: understanding the problem, devising a plan, executing the plan and reflecting on the issue (Alfred, 2007, pp. 46). Usually the first step is looking for clues that form the basis of understanding the problem. Basics of the question are digested and the clue terms are analyzed and understood. This is through obtaining the facts that can help in solving the problem and previous knowledge on the question can be brought into use. The next step is devising a plan that will be employed in working out the solution to the problem. The game plan should be defined and trying to flash back whether such a problem as ever occurred. Strategies are developed that will help in solving the question and strategies like employing formulas and simplification are analyzed. At this, time the order and appropriate formulas that will be employed are checked. Strategies that have been developed are used to solve the problem. Each step is dealt with depending on the conditions of that question. In solving the problem, operators, number sentence and structure are employed. This is the third step that indicates how the mathematical problem is solved. The final part is checking the process or reflecting whether the right question is answered and the right style is employed. At this phase questions such as how the problem was solved, what strategy was employed and whether the right steps were followed comes into play. Solving any mathematical problem, there are certain numbers and operands / functions that can be applied. Natural numbers is common during counting and includes the countable numbers: 1, 2, 3 †¦ which leads to whole numbers when 0 is included: 0, 1, 2, 3. They then gives birth to integers that combine natural and whole numbers: -2, -1, 0, 1, 2. Rational numbers in most cases are the fractions that results due to dividing of integers (Kamala, 2004, pp. 18). Integer division results into decimal numbers that may be either repeating or terminating. Those numbers that are non-terminating decimals, non-repetitive are irrational and examples are the pi and sqrt 2. However, when numbers are expressed as a fraction of number in relation with 100 is termed as percentage. The percent sign (%) is usually employed. The combination of irrational numbers and integer numbers results in real numbers. This is real numbers because there are the complex numbers that are formed by imaginary numbers. To bring the different numbers together to solve a problem operands are employed. Some of the common operands are add, subtract, multiply and divide (James, 2003, pp. 124). Number theory deals with properties of integers and methods that are used to manipulate them. On the other hand, sets are used to define those distinct objects. When the sets are arranged in symbolic form and with the help of mathematical notation yields the number system. A mathematical teacher has to know the difference between numbers so that the teacher can easily manipulate any computation requirements. Differentiating between integers and complex numbers because of the introduction of function i in imaginary numbers will enable the understanding of space designs and structures. Teachers’ ability in understanding the different number system and the methods that can be used in solving the problems at the required phases: problem solving steps is important in developing the student logic and thinking capability. The aspect of mathematical operation ability and different number system has expanded personal knowledge in knowing that there are many and different numbers that can be worked on (James, 2003, pp. 124). The relation between this numbers is small e. g. , the difference between whole numbers and natural numbers is the introduction of zero. Additionally, the use of problem solving steps makes it easy to solve a problem and develop the logic that the students will have to apply in different mathematical computations. Mathematics is an important discipline that is usually employed in different fields. Its application to one field is the same to some extent when employed to another discipline. Problem solving understating is important so that the concept that is behind the computation should stay in the brain for a longer time. The four phases that is used in mathematical computation develops the logic and thinking. References Alfred, W. (2007). An Introduction to Mathematics. New York: Kessinger Publishing C. , pp. pp. 45 – 49 James, L. (2003). World Mathematical Operations. London: Cambridge University Press, pp. 123 – 127 Kamala, M. (2004). Introduction to Computational Mathematics. New York: Prentice Hall Publishing, pp. 16 – 19

As readers we feel confused by the events of the first chapter

From the outset, Brontà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ creates an air of mystery in both the characters and setting that contributes to the confusion felt by the reader. Many of the ideas and symbols used in the first chapter of the book epitomise the technique utilised by Brontà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ throughout the novel. â€Å"Wuthering Heights† has been described as a ‘Chaotic novel'1and many believe that it is intended to confuse and bewilder the reader. After reading the first chapter, the reader is confused about the situation and questions are left unanswered. We are unsure about many of the facts. We know the date is 1801 and that Lockwood is a tenant of Heathcliff's at Thrushcross Grange, but we are unaware of any of the characters' significance in the novel. We are introduced to the servant, Joseph, and briefly encounter Zillah, although we are not told her name. The reader is not informed of the relationships between any of the characters. Brontà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ purposefully keeps the facts ambiguous, which emphasises the feelings of confusion. Brontà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½'s tone and style is mysterious and foreboding from the beginning. In particular, the use of descriptions such as ‘gaunt', ‘defended', ‘jutting', ‘crumbling' and ‘grotesque' add to the grim feel of the novel from the start and the seemingly impenetrable facade of the characters. As readers, we are intended to feel an affinity with Lockwood, who is portrayed as completely alien to the situation. Brontà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ uses many symbols which continue throughout the novel to suggest this. When Lockwood first arrives at the Heights, the atmosphere is unwelcoming, ‘a perfect misanthropists Heaven.' His entrance to Wuthering Heights is made difficult and uncomfortable, ‘he did pull out his hand to unchain it, and then sullenly proceeded me up the causeway' and the greeting is morose from Joseph, ‘looking meantime in my face so sourly that I charitably conjectured he must have need of divine aid to digest his dinner'. Heathcliff's abrupt attitude towards Lockwood, ‘appeared to demand (his) speedy entrance or complete departure'. The doorway into â€Å"the house† is then guarded by ‘grotesque carvings' that reiterates that Lockwood is unwelcome. The famous essay, ‘The Window Image in Wuthering Heights' by Dorothy Van Ghent puts across the point that doors and windows are used symbolically in â€Å"Wuthering Heights†. Characters are unable, or find it difficult, to enter or leave Wuthering Heights. In the first chapter, we see a glimpse of this reality in Lockwoods uncomfortable entrance into Wuthering Heights. Phrases such as, ‘gaunt thorns all stretching their limbs one way, as if craving alms of the sun' give the impression of people being trapped, an idea expressed by Brontà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ in the novel as a whole. Wuthering heights at first appears to be a place trapped in time, almost, ‘completely removed from the stir of society.' The building, dated â€Å"1500† is 300 years old, which suggests a history to the building. Later in the novel, the perception that Wuthering Heights and its characters are trapped is extended. The idea is epitomised by the ghost of Catherine that appears to Lockwood. The repeated use of doubles throughout the book also adds to this effect. â€Å"Hareton Earnshaw† is inscribed on the entrance to Wuthering Heights and is also a character currently living at the Heights when Lockwood visits. The two Cathy's in the novel notably add to the confusion and mystery created in the book. This heightens the effect of Wuthering Heights as a place which seems to defy time. There are many more examples of this in the novel. Frank Kermode has pointed out that the names on the windowsill when read left to rights show the elder Catherine's life, but left to right, the younger's. This gives an example of how the characters lives are confusingly entwined during the course of the novel and adds to bewilderment in the reader. In the first chapter, we are introduced by Lockwood to the vast importance of weather in â€Å"Wuthering Heights†: ‘†Wuthering† being a significant provincial adjective, descriptive of the atmospheric tumult to which its station is exposed in stormy weather' Here, Brontà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ prefaces one of the most major symbols used in â€Å"Wuthering Heights†. Depiction of the novel, from modern films to old paintings inevitably includes the imagery of the moors and ‘tumultuous sky and wild landscape.'2Even in the opening paragraphs, the connotations suggested by words such as ‘wilderness' and ‘jutting' suggest a feeling of defencelessness to the reader. The landscape and weather is portrayed as all-present, frequently reoccurring in metaphors and in the characters themselves, such as the ‘stormy'3Catherine. The reader feels overpowered and confused by the depth of thought in the novel as a whole and the vagueness of the first chapter. ‘Tumult', ‘gaunt', ‘crumbling' and ‘craving' when used to describe the surroundings at Wuthering Heights, also, simultaneously describes the feeling of confusion and helplessness that the reader experiences at the beginning of the novel. The confusion and feeling of being trapped in the novel is likely to be directly linked to Brontà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½'s own confusion and withdrawal from the world. Many of the Gondal poems Emily wrote as an escape included situations in which characters were trapped, often in prisons from which they could only escape through the imagination. Scholars such as Mary Visack have noted a progression in Emily's work from the poems to the novel in this way. This poem by Brontà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ shows uses of nature and weather, as well as very powerful language, ‘descending', ‘drear', ‘darkening', to describe the same feeling of loneliness and isolation depicted in Wuthering Heights. ‘The night is darkening round me, The wild winds coldly blow; But a tyrant spell has bound me And I cannot, cannot go. The giant trees are bending Their bare boughs weighed with snow, And the storm is fast descending And yet I cannot go. Clouds beyond clouds above me, Wastes beyond wastes below; But nothing drear can move me; I will not, cannot go.' The reader feels not only an affinity with Lockwood and his own confusion and isolation, but also with Brontà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½'s own feelings at that time. Also, these feelings are symbolic of Cathy's loss of power and helplessness later in the book. The reader feels isolated at first from the events of the text and unaware of what it means. Lockwood does not inspire confidence as a narrator during the first chapter. He frequently misjudges things, leading the reader to mistrust his initial opinions and views, adding to the confoundment felt at the start of the novel. The ‘homely, northern farmer' that Lockwood would expect is deeply contrasted by the ‘rather morose' reality of Heathcliff. The contrasts themselves within Heathcliff are another cause for confusion. Brontà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ frequently utilises Lockwood's judgements in this way to further cloud the readers mind. ‘He is a dark-skinned gypsy in aspect, in dress and manners a gentleman.' Heathcliff's description constantly contradicts itself. Lockwood then goes on to judge Heathcliff very quickly, ‘by instinct'. However, the overconfident manner in which he announces his opinions then dismisses them, ‘No, I'm running on to fast', puts the reader on guard. In his description of Wuthering Heights, Lockwoods view of what should be is opposed by the reality: ‘I observed no signs of roasting boiling or baking, about the huge fire-place.' Brontà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ uses dark imagery in phrases such as ‘heavy black ones lurking in the shade', ‘swarm of squealing puppies' and ‘other dogs haunted other recesses' to re-emphasise the foreboding and unwelcoming feel to Wuthering Heights once again. The signs in Wuthering Heights appear to be unreadable. What Lockwood thought were ‘cats' were in fact dead rabbits. The dogs are ‘four-footed fiends'. The contrasting descriptions of Heathcliff are also perplexing and later Lockwood, and the reader, are unable to decipher relationships between the characters. We are unsure if Hareton is a servant or a master and we cannot understand Catherine's relationships with other characters. This is mirrored, later, when the reader is confused about the names on the windowsill. We are unsure whether the Catherines are the same person or not. Later still, the reader is confused again when the civilised Lockwood horrifically rubs the young girl's wrist against the broken glass 'till the blood ran down and soaked the bedclothes'. The eclectic mix of styles and qualities of the book in general add somewhat to it's confusion. There is a frequent use of ghosts and spirits, yet as Patsy Stoneman denotes, it has qualities of a ‘very down-to-earth book'4. In the first chapter we see a reflection of this mix in the grim descriptions, which contrast with both Lockwood and the ‘lusty dame'. The violence hinted at with the dogs contrasts again with these styles and is a direct precursor to events later in the book. â€Å"Wuthering Heights† is an extremely well-structured novel, in which Brontà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ is able to control the readers thoughts and emotions to add to the powerful effect of the novel as a whole. In the first chapter, she is able to create an air of mystery, confusion and intrigue which is enhanced and expanded as the story unfolds. Still many critics find â€Å"Wuthering Heights† ‘a preposterous text'5 that is ‘back to front'and refuses to make sense by ‘normal' standards. There are certainly many levels the book can be read and enjoyed on. However, I think the most profound message in the book's confusion is the affinity it creates between Brontà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ and the reader. This message is also mirrored later in the similarities between Brontà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½'s own character and Heathcliff's and the parallels drawn between Brontà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½'s own religious crisis and the character of Joseph. Essentially, â€Å"Wuthering Heights† is the only insight into the mysterious and reserved Emily Brontà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½.

Pidgin and Creole Languages

Pidgin and Creole Languages Pidgin and Creole Languages Pidgin and Creole Languages By Maeve Maddox The word pidgin refers to a language used as a means of communication between people who do not share a common language. The word pidgin derives from a mispronunciation of the English word business. The term â€Å"Pidgin English† was first applied to the commercial lingua franca used in southern China and Melanesia, but now pidgin is a generic term that refers to any simplified language that has derived from two or more parent languages. When a pidgin develops into a more complex language and becomes the first language of a community, it is called a creole. Note: The word creole has racial applications, which are not addressed in this article. Creoles typically arise as the result of contact between the language of a dominant group and that of a subordinate group, as happened as the result of European trade and colonization. The earliest reference to a creole language is to a Portuguese-based creole spoken in Senegal. The vocabulary of a typical creole is supplied for the most part by the dominant language, while the grammar tends to be taken from the subordinate language. A pidgin is nobody’s natural language; a creole develops as a new generation grows up speaking the pidgin as its main language. The grammar of a creole usually remains simpler than that of the parent languages, but the new language begins to develop larger vocabularies to provide for a wider range of situations. Because of its distinctive use of verb tenses and other grammatical features, Black English is considered by many to be an English creole having British and American varieties. Haitian is a French creole. Unlike pidgins, creoles are complete natural languages that differ from standard dialects of the dominant parent language in pronunciation, grammar, and vocabulary. Some more examples of creole languages: French-based Louisiana Creole Mauritian Creole English-based Gullah (US Sea Islands) Jamaican Creole Guyanese Creole Hawaiian Creole More than one parent language Saramacca (SurinameEnglish and Portuguese) Sranan (SurinameEnglish and Dutch) Papiamentu (Aruba, Bonaire, Curaà §aoPortuguese and Spanish) Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Writing Basics category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:15 Terms for Those Who Tell the FutureConnotations of 35 Words for Funny PeopleSentence Adverbs

The Scrum Methodology †Current Issues in Information Systems Essay

The Scrum Methodology – Current Issues in Information Systems Essay Free Online Research Papers The Scrum Methodology Current Issues in Information Systems Essay Scrum is a project management technique used primarily in software development. Scrum adopts its name from a rugby term where players huddle together to move the ball forward up the field while pushing against the other team in the same formation. This comparison is quite natural because the scrum style of management is very team centric as apposed to more traditional forms of management that rely on continuous approval and directions from a single team lead. Managers who engage a team with this type of project must be very hands off. This is to allow the team to delegate pieces of the projects internally as well as manage all other areas of the project as a single unit. Although Scrum is termed an agile method it differs in that agile typically refers to a programming methodology and not a management style. For example, XP, Extreme Programming is a good example of a typical agile method. Scrum is more a management style then it is a programming methodology because Scrum is less concerned with how the tasks get accomplished as it is with when the tasks get accomplished. This moves the spotlight more towards organization and the division of work to meet deadlines and away from other concerns like the language used for the project. Thus getting away from how the programmer chooses to meet that deadline and more on how the team accomplishes its own goal. Scrum teams typically consist of 7-8 members all with varying skills depending on the project. The theory behind Scrum suggests that because the team is small and does not require immediate management their production levels will elevate because they will feel more ownership to the product. This type of style also allows for those individuals who are more self motivated to work on areas of a project that are not considered their forte. This further supports the idea that a happy, contributing worker will generate more production then one who is simply highly paid. In an article by Robert L. Read entitled How to be a Programmer he argues that â€Å"It is a wonderful and surprising fact that programmers are highly motivated by the desire to create artifacts that are beautiful, useful, or nifty.† Read is touching on an ongoing discussion found in many programming forums and that is whether or not programming is a science or an art. If one leans more toward the art aspect it easy to see why Scrum would probably work best for that individual. The work loads in scrum are broken into time frames called Sprints. Sprints are typically allocated in one month periods. Sprints focus on a single deliverable thus making progress easy to see and give the client a regular monthly update. Within the Sprint the team has regular and meaningful project updates with one another on a daily basis. These meetings are also called Scrums because they are at the core of this style. During this meeting it is very important that a clear understanding of progress is given for management review but also it is equally important for the team to escalate any issues that require management’s intervention. Because the Sprint is only one month there is no time for getting lost in bureaucratic processes or red tape. In so many ways this would just defeat the entire purpose of the Scrum style of management. Scrum depends on reliable and self motivated team members with excellent communication skills. Managers are in place as enablers to problems and not as micromanagers. This concept is quite foreign to many teams that are new to this methodology and surely has caused many blank stares at initial meetings. However, Scrum is proving to be an excellent tool for motivating and maintaining employee moral. Research Papers on The Scrum Methodology - Current Issues in Information Systems EssayThe Project Managment Office SystemResearch Process Part OneThe Hockey GameBionic Assembly System: A New Concept of SelfOpen Architechture a white paperIncorporating Risk and Uncertainty Factor in CapitalMarketing of Lifeboy Soap A Unilever ProductThree Concepts of PsychodynamicDefinition of Export QuotasThe Relationship Between Delinquency and Drug Use

HUMAN AGENCY AND COMMUNITY IN A GLOBALIZING WORLD Term Paper

HUMAN AGENCY AND COMMUNITY IN A GLOBALIZING WORLD - Term Paper Example The human individual has to face different social events that are continuously influencing many aspects of his or her community. Humans, as agents of social modification and development, face the challenges of world events. Through the presence of globalization, people become more aware of different views and ways of life while being vulnerable to being engulfed by such new ideas. They are susceptible to incorporating new perspective in their practice. Thus, the human individual as social agent has a big role in restructuring or maintaining the norms and traditions of his or her society. In this paper, an exploration will be presented about how a human individual in a globalized world setting is acting upon the events and changes happening in his or her society. In light to the discussion, narratives from Ha Jin’s book will be studied focusing on the issues of changing societies and human individuality. Two instances of globalization from Ha Jin’s book will be discussed and will be examined using Amartya Sen’s and Kwame Anthony Appiah’s comments and discussions in connection with globalization and the status of human individual in the global community. ... One instance of globalization that is illustrated in the book is that of the situation of the narrator in the ‘An Entrepreneur Story’ where he experienced how money and capitalism influences many things in the world (Ha 116-126), if not all. In this example, capitalism as used by international community as political and economic strategy is being projected in the narrator’s thoughts and intention. Generally, capitalism becomes central to the theme of the story. The implicit and explicit conditions of people in a nearly capitalist community as influenced by world economic politics are depicted. Another event in the book where implications of globalization can be found is that of the story of a man in the title story. The story narrating about a man named Baowen, a husband, (Ha 91) arrested because of the ‘crimes’ of homosexuality is quite surprising. In the story, homosexuality is viewed to be like an illness that needs clinical cure. In here, we see h ow myths about the matter are being shown implying the deep-rooted political and social factors influencing it. This instance is also related to the outside phenomenon happening outside the setting’s local community. In the global society, certain views and modifications about the issue of gender and homosexuality have circulated and startled people from different parts of the world. This matter is just one of the prominent issues talked about in the international communities. Thus, it is apparent that the characters in the story, representing ‘the human individuals’ in the community, are affected by the circulating views and perspectives introduced by globalization. In reading Ha Jin’s stories, particularly those instances

Controlling Factor of Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Controlling Factor of Management - Essay Example These factors include the need for accountability in organizations, the need to detect environmental changes that significantly affect organizations, the growing complexity of present day organizations and the need to identify operational errors in organizations to avoid incurring excessive costs. In addition to addressing the above mentioned factors, controlling plays an important role in helping managers detect irregularities, identify opportunities, handle complex situations, decentralize authority, minimize costs, and cope with uncertainty. Coping with Uncertainty - In today's turbulent business environment, all organizations must cope with change. When organization goals are established, they are based on the knowledge available at that point of time. However, by the time the goals are accomplished, many changes may have occurred in the organization or its environment. An improperly designed control system, however, may result in poor organizational performance. Detecting Irregularities - Control system help managers detect undesirable irregularities, such as product defects, cost overruns, or rising personnel turnover. Although small mistakes and errors may not seriously damage the financial health of an organization, they may accumulate and become very serious over time. Early detection of such irregularities can prevent minor problems from mushrooming into major ones and often save a great deal of time is money for the organization. Example: A large radar detector manufacturer in the US named Whistler Corporation once faced with such rapidly escalating demand that it stopped giving attention to quality. This led to a rise in the defect rate from 4% to 9% to 15 % and finally, to 25%. A manager observed that 100 out of 250 employees of the company were spending all their time fixing defective units and that an inventory worth $2 million was still awaiting repair. Had the company detected the defects and rectified them early, the problem would never have increased to such proportions. Problems such as missing important deadlines or selling faulty merchandise to customers are sometimes difficult to rectify. Identifying aberrations in the early stages helps organizations avoid such problems. Identifying Opportunities - Control also helps managers identify areas in which things are going better than expected, thereby alerting management to possible future opportunities. For example, division managers at the St. Louis-based May Department stores prepare and generate monthly reports that specify the items that have high demand and the amount of money those items are generating. On the basis of these reports, the chain develops successful merchandising strategies for all its stores like what to buy, which vendors to buy from, and how to display the merchandise etc. Handling Complex Situations - Another important factor contributing to the need for a control mechanism is that growing complexity of today's organizations. When a company requires only on kind of raw material, produces only one kind of product has a simple organization design, and enjoys constant demand for its products, it can afford to have a very basic and simple system of control. But, as organizations grow or engage in producing many products from a number of different raw materials, and operate in a large market area with many competitors, efficient and