Popular Study Destination

Popular Study Destination France is the country that can be proud of its 90 universities, all of which provide high quality of teaching, comprehensive study, and world-class research, plenty of business schools, research institutes, and engineering colleges. There are also various fields of study to choose from, as well as a great number of specialists and experts in those areas. These and many other features encourage students from all over the world to apply to universities in France. According to The Times Higher Education Ranking, there are 10 best and most respected French universities, which occupy the top positions in world’s charts. Let’s consider each one separately and in detail. École Normale Supà ©rieure Without a doubt, École Normale Supà ©rieure is the best university in France, located in Paris. This institution is a part of the grandes à ©coles  system, which means only students with great impressive academic performance are able to study there. École Normale Supà ©rieure excels in sciences, humanities, research, arts, and culture; offers a diversity of undergraduate and postgraduate programs in various subject areas. What is more, it provides efficient career options in academia, government, and culture for the alumni. École Polytechnique (ParisTech) Although École Polytechnique is located in Parisian suburbs and admits only 3,000 students a year, this university is no less popular than the previous institution. Focusing primarily on science, engineering, and technology, this establishment has many courses and facilities to offer. Students of École Polytechnique can enjoy such services like libraries, sports activities, scholarships, student unions, exchange programs, financial aid, scholarships, and others. Pierre and Marie Curie University This university was founded in 1970 and is famous for its big intake (over 34,000 students, 20% international). Pierre and Marie Curie University has eight teaching hospitals, 120 research laboratories, and 16 doctoral schools that make it the biggest scientific and medical complex in France. Apart from medicine, the graduates excel in mathematics, chemistry, and physics. University of Paris Sud Paris-Sud University is a great institution, which admits up to 30,000 applicants including almost 5,000 international students from 130 countries around the world. It has gained popularity thanks to efficient chemistry and physics research, as well as courses in science and mathematics. Paris-Sud University produced Nobel Prize winners, leading academics, and famous business people. Centrale Supà ©lec Being one of the youngest universities in France, Centrale Supà ©lec was formed by École Centrale Paris and École Supà ©rieure dElectricità © in 2015. It offers research and degree programs in science and engineering. The graduates are able to work as entrepreneurs, managers, and on-the-ground engineers. ESPCI ParisTech The School of Industrial Physics and Chemistry (ESPCI ParisTech) was established in Paris in 1882. As a coeducational institution, it provides courses for pre-bachelor degrees (diplomas, certificates, associate or foundation degrees), bachelor degrees, and doctorate degrees. Ecole Normale Supà ©rieure de Lyon This university is thought to be one of the elite establishments in France that teaches humanities and sciences and trains researchers. Founded 30 years ago, Ecole Normale Supà ©rieure de Lyon hasn’t got much popularity yet, but day by day increases the number of worthwhile programs, activities and facilities including internships and scholarships, study abroad programs, sports services, etc. Paris Descartes University In honor of the great philosopher Rene Descartes and his achievements in sciences, this institution provides pre-bachelor, bachelor, master and doctorate degrees in pharmacy, medicine, social sciences, and humanities; some formation and research centers. Sorbonne Paris Cità © Università © Paris Diderot Paris Diderot University is a prestigious and multidisciplinary higher education institution that was founded in 1970 in Paris. Today, it has a big number of undergraduates (at least 25,000 students), more than 2000 experienced educators and researchers, who excel in medicine, psychology, science and humanities. MINES ParisTech MINES ParisTech (or National Graduate School of Engineering) is a small, but a prominent university in Paris. It boasts 18 research centers, partnerships with other institutions and companies, up to 300 research professors, and plenty of successful and satisfied students. Moreover, it is home to the first school for collaborative research.

The Sun Also Rises Essays - English-language Films, Free Essays

The Sun Also Rises Essays - English-language Films, Free Essays The Sun Also Rises The Hemingway Hero Prevalent among many of Ernest Hemingway's novels is the concept popularly known as the Hemingway hero, an ideal character readily accepted by American readers as a man's man. In The Sun Also Rises, four different men are compared and contrasted as they engage in some form of relationship with Lady Brett Ashley, a near-nymphomaniac Englishwoman who indulges in her passion for sex and control. Brett plans to marry her fiancee for superficial reasons, completely ruins one man emotionally and spiritually, separates from another to preserve the idea of their short-lived affair and to avoid self-destruction, and denies and disgraces the only man whom she loves most dearly. All her relationships occur in a period of months, as Brett either accepts or rejects certain values or traits of each man. Brett, as a dynamic and self-controlled woman, and her four love interests help demonstrate Hemingway's standard definition of a man and/or masculinity. Each man Brett has a relationship with in the novel possesses distinct qualities that enable Hemingway to explore what it is to truly be a man. The Hemingway man thus presented is a man of action, of self-discipline and self-reliance, and of strength and courage to confront all weaknesses, fears, failures, and even death. Jake Barnes, as the narrator and supposed hero of the novel, fell in love with Brett some years ago and is still powerfully and uncontrollably in love with her. However, Jake is unfortunately a casualty of the war, having been emasculated in a freak accident. Still adjusting to his impotence at the beginning of the novel, Jake has lost all power and desire to have sex. Because of this, Jake and Brett cannot be lovers and all attempts at a relationship that is sexually fulfilling are simply futile. Brett is a passionate, lustful woman who is driven by the most intimate and loving act two may share, something that Jake just cannot provide her with. Jake's emasculation only puts the two in a grandly ironic situation. Brett is an extremely passionate woman but is denied the first man she feels true love and admiration for. Jake has loved Brett for years and cannot have her because of his inability to have sex. It is obvious that their love is mutual when Jake tries to kiss Brett in their cab ride home: 'You mustn't. You must know. I can't stand it, that's all. Oh darling, please understand!', 'Don't you love me?', 'Love you? I simply turn all to jelly when you touch me' (26, Ch. 4). This scene is indicative of their relationship as Jake and Brett hopelessly desire each other but realize the futility of further endeavors. Together, they have both tried to defy reality, but failed. Jake is frustrated by Brett's reappearance into his life and her confession that she is miserably unhappy. Jake asks Brett to go off with him to the country for bit: 'Couldn't we go off in the country for a while?', 'It wouldn't be any good. I'll go if you like. But I couldn't live quietly in the country. Not with my own true love', 'I know', 'Isn't it rotten? There isn't any use my telling you I love you', 'You know I love you', 'Let's not talk. Talking's all bilge' (55, Ch. 7). Brett declines Jake's pointless attempt at being together. Both Brett and Jake know that any relationship beyond a friendship cannot be pursued. Jake is still adjusting to his impotence while Brett will not sacrifice a sexual relationship for the man she loves. Since Jake can never be Brett's lover, they are forced to create a new relationship for themselves, perhaps one far more dangerous than that of mere lovers - they have become best friends. This presents a great difficulty for Jake, because Brett's presence is both pleasurable and agonizing for him. Brett constantly reminds him of his handicap and thus Jake is challenged as a man in the deepest, most personal sense possible. After the departure of their first meeting, Jake feels miserable: This was Brett, that I had felt like crying about. Then I thought of her walking up the street and of course in a little while I felt like hell again (34, Ch. 4). Lady Brett Ashley serves

Animal Testing

Animal Testing Essay Animal TestingThis theme song to a popular cartoon is a farce dealing with experiments carried out on animals. In the cartoon one mouse is made very smart and wants to take over the world while the other is clearly not as smart. While the cartoon makes jokes, the reality is that mice and other animals re being used for medical tests every day. For some people this testing brings up ethical questions. One of the biggest questions: is it really necessary to take the lives of animals in the name of science and for the betterment of humanity? For animal rights activists, like People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), the answer is no. PETA pressures labs into halting experiments because they believe that animals are not to be used by humans for food, clothing, entertainment, or to experiment on (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals 1). Its stance is that any testing is painful, inhumane, and unnecessary when alternatives are available. The PETA website says that animals, like humans, have interests that cannot be sacrificed or traded away simply because it might benefit others. (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals 2-3). Essentially, PETA is of the opinion that animals and humans should have identical rights. In their press releases PETA puts out pictures of rabbits with open flesh wounds and dogs with rashes on their skinsall in an attempt to disgust people into sympathy for their cause. In actuality the number of lab animals used has been cut in half in the last 25 years (James-Enger 254). Of the animals used, 90 percent are rats and mice (James-Enger 1). Moreover, 11 million animals die each year in animal shelters (Americans for Medical Progress 2) and an astounding 95 percent of the animals that die in America do so from human consumption (James-Enger 254). The reason that animal testing is appropriate is that there are regulations in place to minimize testing and pain, the alternatives are insufficient for now, and most importantly the information obtained from experimentation is irreplaceable. While animal rights groups such as PETA advocate abolishing all animal testing that inflicts pain on animals, proponents of testing cite laws and regulations which minimize pain and discomfort. PETAs position is based on the belief that humans are not superior to animals (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals). The vice president of the Humans Society of the United States (HSUS), an animal rights group that is nearly as extreme as PETA, has been quoted as saying the life of an ant and that of my child should be granted equal consideration (Americans for Medical Progress 2). If, as PETA and HSUS say, animal and human life is equal, then putting an animal through any pain is immoral. However, there are laws in place to minimize discomfort and inhumane treatment. The laws limit the amount of distress and pain an animal is subjected to. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), the body that governs animal test ing, must approve all tests (United States Department of Agriculture 2). The USDA must also authorize the numbers and types of animals experimented on (United States Department of Agriculture 2). Tests can no longer be performed if conclusive data is already available. In 1991 it was discovered that Procter and Gamble had performed experiments on 300 guinea pigs when the data the tests was to obtain was already available (Animal Testing by the Cosmetic Industry 2). This is just one of the situations that newer animal testing legislation would have prevented or at least deterred. A fifty-point criterion for assessing pain is in place (United States Department of Agriculture 3). These points include everything from vocalization of pain to apparent depression. If there is no clear criteria then it is assumed that procedures that cause pain in humans also cause pain in animals (United States Department of Agriculture 50). When an animal must be restrained it is to be limited to brief pe riods of around three minutes (United States Department of Agriculture 3). This is similar to the procedure followed when a doctor holds a child to administer a vaccination shot. For all surgeries and painful tests, sedatives and anesthetics must be utilized (United States Department of Agriculture 49). If the test will leave the animal permanently damaged, euthanasia must be administered before the anesthetic wears off (United States Department of Agriculture 48). For humans this topic is still being debated, but animals are put to sleep every day when an owner or veterinarian decides the quality of the animals life will be too low for it to go on living. These few but important changes in animal research legislation have aided in improving animal welfare. PETA believes that the benefits of animal research do not outweigh the costs when alternatives are available; proponents argue that those alternatives are not effective. PETAs stance is that animal life is too valuable to risk on experimentation especially when there are alternatives, such as false human skin grown in culture, computer programs, and using human subjects. Taking a few skin cells and growing them into small squares of skin produces the false human skin. This piece of skin can be used to test irritation reactions to different chemicals. It is being used in the cosmetic industry, which has all but ceased animal testing. One problem with the false skin however is that it can only be exposed to water-soluble chemicals or it suffers extreme damage (D.E. 168). Furthermore, it currently contains no melanocytes, the chemicals that give skin its color, or immune cells (D.E. 168). It is not known how or if these substances effect any laboratory setting, but it is desirable for any experiment to mimic real life situations as closely as possible. Another alternative to actual animal experimentation is using computer simulations. These programs are like encyclopedias of chemical information. They can only run simulations based on information on chemicals and reactions that are already known. This is an obvious problem with this alternative. Computer simulation software cannot accurately predict the effects of enough situations and theoretical chemical combinations to be heavily relied on. What it comes down to is that there currently is no viable replacement for live, responsive cells. Jack H. Botting and Adrian R. Morrison point out that there are no basic differences between the physiology of laboratory animals and humans (Botting, Morrison 85). These similarities are what scientists need for experiments to be accurate. The matches are never perfect, but animal experiments are a good place for researchers to start looking for answers to questions that are important to human health care. Another proposed alternative to animal testing is to use human subjects. PETA suggests using people who have particular ailments who would be willing to participate in experiments. The problem with this alternative is that it is not scientifically sound. When conducting a scientific experiment, all variables must be controlled, and running tests on random human subjects does not give reliable results. Assuming that a researcher could find enough people to run an experiment, there would be too many extraneous variables, such as the subjects environment, genes, and other pre-existing conditions. With lab animals the complete medical history is known, the entire life of each animal is documented. Also they are selectively bred to produce genetically similar subjects. Simply put, lab animals are a cheap, reliable source of information. The benefits gained from animal testing are too widespread to ignore. Everyday life has been changed for the better because of this testing. As 1990 Nobel Prize Laureate Joseph E. Murray, M.D. said, Animal experimentation has been essential to the development of all cardiac surgery, transplantation surgery, joint replacements and all vaccinations ( Americans for Medical Progress 1). The numbers to back up this claim are that over 440,000 open-heart surgeries are performed and 11,000 kidneys are transplanted every year, not to mention that animal experimentation has made possible the salvation of 20,000 kidney dialysis patients each year (Botting 1). Also, the ability to test on animals has made possible the relatively safe and successful use of dangerous chemotherapy drugs to treat cancer (Americans for Medical Progress 1). Drugs such as this cannot be tested on humans because of their strength and potential for killing in inappropriate doses. If the proper dosage were not known, the results would be inaccurate and could be lethal. Many antibiotics and vaccines used today were developed and tested through animal research, as were insulin to control diabetes and nearly all modern anesthetics (Botting 1). It is hard to imagine life without some of these lifesaving drugs, or even the ones that do not save lives, just make life a little more bearable. It is likewise significant to note that animal testing has benefited animals as well. When a pet owner takes his or her animal to the veterinarian to receive shots, chances are that those shots are available because of animal experimentation. Heartworm, feline leukemia, rabies, anthrax, and tetanus are all preventable because of animal testing. PETA and HSUS are honorable institutions with admirable goals, but they are over idealistic and overzealous. That fact can best be described by the following quote: Animal rights activists blocked for two years research aimed at stopping transmission of HIV from mother to child. That research ultimately demonstrated how AZT can prevent babies from getting AIDS (Americans for Medical Progress). Sometimes the good of the many outweighs the good of the few. This does not mean that animal testing should go unchecked. Suffering is kept to a minimum by legislation and advancements in testing alternatives. As these alternatives progress, the number of live animals needed for testing will gradually decrease and eventually the need for them will hopefully be eliminated. But in the meantime, animal testing is too important to stop. The benefits waiting to be had are too important and any possible drawbacks are too insignificant to allow a halt in animal research. BibliographyBibliographyAnimal Testing by the Cosmetic Industry. (20 March 1999). Animal Research Saves Human and Animal Lives. Americans for Medical Progress. (20 March 1999). Animal Research Holds the Key to Saving Human Lives. Americans for Medical Progress. (20 March 1999). Ball, Matt and Anne Green, and Jack Norris. Veganism as the Path to Animal Liberation. The Animals Agenda Sep/Oct 1998: 44-45. Botting, Jack H. and Adrian R. Morrison. Animal Research is Vital to Medicine. Scientific American. 187 February 1997: 83-85. D. E. Skin Stand-Ins. Scientific American. September 1990: 168. James-Enger, Kelly. Beyond Animal Testing. Vegetarian Times. October 1998: 254. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. (20 March 1999). 21 Things You May Not Know About the Animal Rights Movement. Americans for Medical Progress. (20 March 1999). U.S. Department of Agriculture: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. Animal Welfare Report Fiscal Year 1997. READ: The Terminal Man Essay

Analysis of three different health systems Assignment

Analysis of three different health systems - Assignment Example The similarities and differences are based on the different economic capabilities of the two countries and the population size. This paper is based on  a comparative overview of the American health care system, the Japanese health care system, and the Australian health care system. The differences between the three health care systems are analyzed as well as the evaluation of the systems in terms of equity, efficiency, and effectiveness. The necessary reforms to the health care systems are also discussed in the paper. The healthcare system in the United States comprises of both the private insurers and the public health system that covers the low-income families and the elderly (Emanuel, 2014). Many Americans receive insurance coverage via the employer-sponsored private insurance with most of the services being provided by private insurers. The Medicaid program serves the disabled and poor families. Different states in the country are also required to cover the medical expenses of low-income pregnant women, the elderly, children, and the disabled (Gillies, 2003). States can also expand their eligibility, but the Medicare program is a universal healthcare program that covers people aged over 65 years. The children whose families do not qualify for the Medicare program and do not make enough to buy the private health insurance are covered in the State Children Health Insurance Program (Levine, 2009). A separate health program is also available for the veterans in the United States. The health benefits in the US vary based on the insurance type. The program comprises of both the inpatient and outpatient hospital care and a home visit by the physicians. Other services also include dental care, preventive care, and the use of prescription drugs. The employer-sponsored plans accept patients at the same cost and are underwritten based on the weight, age, smoking status, and health history of the patient. The Medicaid program covers

Michael Sandels Designer Babies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 2

Michael Sandels Designer Babies - Essay Example The title of the essay, Designer Babies, can elicit reader’s interest and maintain it throughout the article as they strive to comprehend the circumstances surrounding designing of babies. The article is logically organized into introduction, body, and conclusion, with captivating subtitles that are crucial elements of a well-structured essay. The thesis statement is found in the first paragraph where the author argues that some people accept sex selection for children; however, researchers have not addressed other issues such as physical appearance and intelligence. Another feature that makes the article rather captivating constitutes excellent transitions between paragraphs and effective use of rhetoric questions. Paragraph transitions are organized in such a way that they answer questions posed in the previous paragraphs, or pose a question for discussion in the paragraph. Rhetoric questions are vital in this essay as they help in engaging the reader as the article progress es. The writer does not use numbering in the article, but organizes the essay into varying lengths of paragraphs with clear distinctions between paragraph ideas. Long paragraphs are used to explain the author’s ideas, while short paragraphs at the end of the chapters are used to summarize ideas and giving conclusive solutions to questions of the subtitles. Sandel refers to historical events when discussing his opinions to support his views. For example, when discussing the use of genetic testing.

Compare and contrast David Landes and Andre Gunder Frank’s explanations of economic development and underdevelopment Essay Example for Free

Compare and contrast David Landes and Andre Gunder Frank’s explanations of economic development and underdevelopment Essay Prompt: Compare and contrast David Landes and Andre Gunder Frank’s explanations of economic development and underdevelopment. How do these authors explain the development of Japan in the 19th century? This paper will analyze the arguments on development and underdevelopment from the point of view of David Landes and Andre Gunder Frank. At the very beginning of Frank’s essay, he clarifies three characteristics of countries, developed, underdeveloped and undeveloped. Meaning of developed country is obvious but Frank states that there are misconceptions about the other two terms. Undeveloped basically refers to countries that is not yet start developing or did not manage to develop whereas underdeveloped means not completely developed but still developing. Some of underdeveloped countries are dealing with the issue of disparities in income and cultural differences among the society. This situation leads to existence of social classes and this is called ‘dual society’. Main reason of this problem is while the capitalists are growing economically, the other part remains isolated thus they are less developed. According to Frank, Japan grew rapidly after the Meiji Restoration. Industrialization period was very successful in Japan even though they do not have adequate resource. Reason of this growth is Japan is not satellized during the Tokugawa and Meiji period. As a result development of Japan was greater than other satellized countries such as Russia and South American countries. On the other hand David Landes suggested some ideas that caused Japanese development. Landes thinks that society plays an important role on development. They were highly motivated to work for their country and they believed that their country would develop such as European countries. Thus they inspired by their success and carried themselves country to the same level.

Essay --

Introduction Cardiovascular disease (CVD) and chronic kidney disease (CKD) closely parallel the obesity and insulin resistance epidemic. Current U.S. estimates project 70 million obese adults and an additional 70 million with hypertension and/or type II diabetes (28, 42, 45). More so, the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), suggest a graded and continuous relationship exists between prevalent hypertension and increasing body mass index (BMI); a metric that is closely associated with insulin resistance and self-identified type II diabetes (8, 34). Latent diabetic vascular complications are a hallmark of the disease and known to significantly affect the cardiovascular and renal systems. Atherosclerosis is the main reason for decreased life expectancy in patients with diabetes, whereas diabetic nephropathy and retinopathy are the largest contributors to end-stage renal disease and blindness, respectively (37, 56). Current therapy is aimed at managing blood glucose concentrations and increasing insulin resistance. Thus, vascular complication mitigation includes: blood glucose monitoring and lowering, which decreases the risk of nephropathy and retinopathy. Antihypertensive medicine is also utilized to decrease the risk of cardiovascular disease, nephropathy, and retinopathy (15, 26). As well, hypertension is closely associated with stroke and pulmonary edema. Despite these advances, diabetes complications and their treatments are aimed at abating symptoms in an effort to improve physiological function. Atherosclerosis in Diabetes Atherosclerotic lesions in patients with diabetes are indistinguishable from lesions in patients in whom another characteristic, like hypercholesterolemia or smoking, is the major ... ...hole-body insulin resistance in skeletal muscles (11, 32, 43). It should not be discounted though that the MR also has a high affinity for both aldosterone and 11ÃŽ ²-hydroxy-glucocorticoids, which exist in lower levels in non-epithelial tissues that allow glucocorticoids to signal through the MR in cardiovascular and metabolic tissue such as skeletal muscle, liver and fat (72). Not a marginal point as insulin resistant populations have plasma glucocorticoid concentrations are greater than those of aldosterone and this may promote MR activation by glucocorticoids. Potentiating the oxidative stress in the cardio-renal metabolic syndrome (71). Indepdent of the in-/direct mechanism, the evidence of RAAS blockade or silencing can ameliorate oxidative stress, improves endothelial function and contributes to reductions of hypertension in the cardio-renal metabolic phenotype.

Systems Analysis and Design

ACME Financial is a fast growing company that owes part of its growth to several recent acquisitions. ACME Financial now wants to consolidate the companies’ information technology resources to eliminate redundancy and share information among the new companies. The Chief Information Officer (CIO) has oversight responsibility for the project and has hired Client/Servers R Us to develop the architecture for the new corporate information system. Joe Consultant of C/S R Us presented 3 client/server designs to the CIO and is requesting the CIO to select one.The CIO is not sure which middleware design is best for the company’s goals. The CIO has asked Chris Consultant to present the advantages and disadvantages for each of the alternatives. Background ACME Financial Incorporated (AF Inc. ) is an investment banking company that provides an on-line service that allows their clients to access account and market information. ACME Financial Inc. recently acquired several small and medium sized companies throughout the country, each with their own financial and accounting systems.Almost all of the companies have developed their own application software for their analysts’ use in their daily jobs, but only a few provided on-line account service. The analytical tools rely on near-real time market data and historical market data. The CIO wants to consolidate the financial and accounting information into a corporate information system that can support decision support applications for corporate management. Naturally, since the computer hardware is different for different companies, the CIO expects to upgrade the hardware to accommodate the new Information Technology (IT) system.The CIO will select the best analytical software as the standard software used by all company analysts. Each local site will be expected to provide an on-line service for their customers. Customers will be given the necessary application software to access their account information. Finally, ACME Financial has developed special data mining software that gives them a competitive advantage. AF Inc. offers their customers investment advice based on the information derived by the data mining software.Each account manager receives the information and then provides tailored recommendations  to each customer based on their portfolio. System Requirements The following list of system requirements reflects the system’s priorities (listed roughly in order of priority): 1. Availability: The CIO’s number one priority is high availability. AF Inc. markets their reliability and feels that most clients choose them for their dependability. The CIO wants to maximize the system’s availability. To achieve high availability, if a regional office cannot provide support then a customer must always have access to the on-line service through a different office. 2.Data Integrity: The requirement for data integrity varies within the system. The most important data are customer’s transactions. It is essential that a customer’s transaction is never lost and the system must guarantee that each transaction is completed. In contrast, data lost from the high data rate inputs, such as Reuter’s and the NYSE, are easily recovered during the each broadcast so it is not critical if some data are lost during a broadcast. 3. Performance: Financial markets are highly volatile; time sensitivity of data is measured in minutes. Millions can be lost if information is delayed getting to the analysts.The system must be able to support information broadcast throughout the network. 4. Security: The CIO is concerned about the security of the data mining software and the information produced by the data mining software. The Chief Executive Officer thinks the data mining information software provides a competitive advantage for the company. If an unauthorized user had access to the information they could steal the data mining applications or stea l the information produced by the data mining software. In either case, the perpetrator could make the same investment recommendations as AF Inc. account managers.Therefore, if competitors had access to the information the results could be financially devastating to the company. The CIO is concerned that a competitor could pose as a customer and hack into the highly sensitive information through his on-line service account. 5. Growth: The CIO envisions an incremental migration process to install the new system due to the magnitude of the change. Also, he expects that AF Inc. will continue to grow and acquire more companies. The CIO wants to be able to develop more application software as new customer services are added. The CIO also wants to add more near-real time information sources to  the system. 6.Backup and Recovery: The CIO understands that the system will encounter problems from time to time. A key factor in determining the system’s success is how quickly the system can recover from a failure. Backup and recovery must be smooth and non-disruptive. One way to ensure that the system can easily recover from a system crash is to make sure the data is duplicated elsewhere on the system. The corporate database is the primary back up for each of the regional offices. Configuration Each local office (Northeast, Northwest, Southeast, Southwest) has accesses a regional information hub.Local offices use client software to access the local application server. These application servers access the local databases for almost all of the information needed on a daily basis. For access to information needed less frequently the application software should access the central database at corporate headquarters. Each regional database has only the subset of information that is relevant for its area, whereas the corporate headquarters maintains all of the information from each region as well as data that is unique to corporate applications, such as additional accoun ting and company financial information.The corporate office is also responsible for the data mining software and information. Each of the regional databases is connected with high capacity links to the corporate database. Finally, the corporate office receives information from Reuter’s, NYSE, NASDAQ, and other financial markets. The information flow fluctuates daily from 30 – 40 KBps to 4 – 5 MBps. Twenty-five percent of the information is immediately broadcast to the regional offices to support the on-line account service. All the information is filtered and stored in the database. Architectural AlternativesAlternative I: The Database Management System This alternative takes advantage of the extended functionality provided by the popular relational database management companies, such as Oracle and Sybase. All information is delivered into the system where it is immediately stored into one of the databases. The relational database management software is responsi ble for the distribution of information throughout the system. Clients communicate with the databases through Standard Query Language (SQL). Corporate and regional databases are kept synchronized using features supplied by the RDBMS software.Transactions are guaranteed by using special Transaction Processing Software. The vendor-supplied RDBMS software is responsible for back-up and recovery of all the databases. Data security is handled at the row level within each database. This means that clients can only receive records for which their user has permission. Existing application software may have to be modified to use SQL. Alternative II: Common Object Request Broker Architecture (CORBA) This solution depends on CORBA to tie together the clients and databases. CORBA is responsible for distributing data across the system.The RDBMS software is still responsible for the back-up and recovery, but the databases are kept synchronized using CORBA as the primary transport mechanism for th e data. Clients, application servers, and databases communicate to each other through CORBA’s transport mechanism. Existing application software would be wrapped in IDL to communicate with other applications. Special near-real time handling application software would send the information to each of the regional offices where it would be directed to clients that subscribe to the information.Alternative III: Message and Queuing (M&Q) The message and queuing design uses commercial M & Q software combined with a transaction processing product to ensure customer’s transactions are completed. Dec Message Queue and MQ Series are some of the leading products for messaging and queuing software. Clients communicate to other entities using messages. Messages are deposited in queues and the message and queuing middleware is responsible for message distribution to the appropriate clients. The software applications will be modified to send and receive messages from queues.Questions to Answer (Total 100 points) The case study must be discussed covering the designs and these questions with your teammates, but your final write-up should be your collaborative work. Doing research on specific products for the assignment should certainly be a team activity. The total length of the write-up should probably not exceed 5 pages. 1. Describe in more detail the architecture of each architectural alternative. To do this you will need to flesh out the specifics of the various parts.This will require some research on the  products indicated (or other comparable products that you locate). Note that some services are automatically provided when a particular product is purchased, while others must be developed to satisfy the system requirements. You should describe what services are automatically provided by the products, which services would need to be developed, and how services should be distributed across the network. (40 points) 2. Evaluate each of the alternatives again st the system requirements, discussing the advantages and disadvantages of each. (You may assume that the hardware will support all solutions.)In your analysis you might consider issues such as which alternative gives the system developers the most flexibility, which alternative provides easiest maintenance, and which alternative requires the least modification to the current system. Other hints for system comparison are listed below. (40 points) 3. Prioritize each alternative or suggest a different solution if you think it superior to the presented alternatives. (20 points) Suggestions on how to proceed 1. There is not enough information to make an informed decision about each of the alternatives.As a team, allot a percentage of your time to discover which products offer what type of services. You do not have enough time to do a complete market survey so be selective. 2. If you depend only on marketing information you may find that the alternatives are equivalent. So you might want to go beyond the market literature in doing your research for this assignment. 3. As you do your analysis, pay particular attention to some of the following kinds of issues: a. How well does the architecture support the basic system functionality requirements? b. How much run time performance overhead does the architecture impose?c. How well will specific products handle the high volume of data? d. How will each architecture handle occasional peak loads? e. How easy is it to customize the system to new requirements? 4. In your analysis, when you are considering costs, you do not need to consider the actual product cost. (It may be impossible to get actual product costs anyway. ) Instead, evaluate cost with respect to the amount of customized software that will be necessary to implement each alternative, and how this might affect long-term maintenance costs, time to implement, flexibility, etc.

Principles of Microeconomics Essay

WEEK 1 ECO 204 NEW Week 1 Quiz 1.Question :In economics, scarcity means that Student Answer: there are not sufficient resources to produce everything that people want. poverty will always exist. a country can never feed all of its citizens. the price of a good may increase more rapidly than the general price level. there is not enough of a particular good for people to buy all they want at the prevailing price. Points Received:1 of 1 Comments: 2.Question :If beans are inferior goods, a decrease in income will Student Answer: cause beans to sell at a lower price. increase the production of beans. shift the demand curve for beans to the left. shift the demand curve for beans to the right. rotate the supply curve in a clockwise manner. Points Received:1 of 1 Comments: ECO 204 NEW Week 1 DQ 1 Circular Flow Diagram Explain how the circular flow diagram relates to the current economic  situation. Using the circular flow diagram, explain a way that your family interacts in the factor market and a way that it interacts in the products market. ECO 204 NEW Week 1 DQ 2 Supply and Demand Analyze how the law of demand applies to a recent purchase that you made. Describe how the product has changed in price and explain whether the price change is due to supply or demand. Did the change in price affect your decision to purchase the item? WEEK 2 ECO 204 NEW Week 2 Raise or Lower Tuition: Nobody State University Tuition Universities must constantly weigh tuition pricing in relation to the cost of providing quality educational services. Determining where to set tuition pricing is an increasingly critical decision which administrators and university presidents must analyze when considering the university’s goals. Not only does the cost of tuition play a factor in student enrollment, it also provides a major revenue source to an institution. The question which universities must answer is, â€Å"What effect will raising or lowering the university’s tuition have on the total earned revenue? This paper investigates this question and reviews under what conditions a change in tuition prices will cause the revenue to rise, fall, or remain constant. Finally, applying a hypothetical tuition elasticity coefficient of demand for education value of -1.2, provides a tuition increase recommendation to the Nobody State University’s president and administration board based upon the university’s potential revenue impact. ECO 204 NEW Week 2 DQ 1 Elasticity Analyze the determinants of the price elasticity of demand and determine if each of the following products are elastic or inelastic: †¢bottled water †¢toothpaste †¢cookie dough ice cream †¢fresh green beans †¢gasoline In your analysis, please make sure to explain your reasoning and relate your answers to the characteristics of the determinants of the price elasticity of demand. ECO 204 NEW Week 2 DQ 2 Externalities Explain the difference between a positive and negative externality. In your analysis, make sure to provide an example of each type of externality. Why does the government need to get involved with externalities to bring about market efficiency? What solutions need to be provided for your examples? WEEK 3 ECO 204 NEW Week 3 Quiz 1.Question :When the marginal product curve is declining because of Student Answer: increasing returns, the marginal cost curve is rising. diminishing returns, the marginal cost curve is rising. diminishing returns, the marginal cost curve is falling. diminishing returns, the marginal cost curve is constant. increasing returns, the marginal cost curve is falling. Points Received:1 of 1 Comments: 2.Question :A firm that owns a wheat farm, a grain elevator, a flour mill, a commercial bakery, and a grocery store chain is Student Answer: horizontally integrated. vertically integrated. a monopoly. an imperfect competitor. a conglomerate. Points Received:1 of 1 Comments: ECO 204 NEW Week 3 DQ 1 Short and Long Run Let’s assume that you own a fast food restaurant and you are faced with many customers each day eating in the restaurant without any tables. Describe the difference between the short run and long run in the example to bringing about more tables for the customers. How is the restaurant able to differentiate between the short run and long run? ECO 204 NEW Week 3 DQ 2 Fixed and Variable Costs After reading Chapter 8 in the text and viewing the required video for this week, Fixed, variable, and marginal cost,address the following in your initial post: †¢First, describe several different fixed costs and variable costs associated with operating an automobile. †¢Next, assume that you would like to travel from Los Angeles to New York City by either car or plane. Which costs would you take into account in making your decision, fixed costs, variable costs or both? Make sure to explain your analysis in the decision that you have to make. WEEK 4 ECO 204 NEW Week 4 Quiz 1.Question :All but which one of the following are true of monopolistic competition? Student Answer: MR = MC P>MC AR = MR The demand curve the firm faces slopes downward. Entry is easy. Points Received:1 of 1 Comments: 2.Question :At the point of long-run equilibrium for a perfectly competitive firm, Student Answer: economic profits are zero. TR > TC. TR < TC. P = AVC. normal profits are zero. Points Received:1 of 1 Comments: ECO 204 NEW Week 4 DQ 1 Market Structures Explain the most important characteristic in perfect competition, monopolistic competition, oligopoly, and monopolies and relate the characteristic to how these firms can make profits in the short run. In your analysis, make sure to relate an example for each of the market structures listed and how it relates to the particular characteristics. ECO 204 NEW Week 4 DQ 2 Barriers to Entry Analyze the major barriers for entry and exit into the airline industry. Explain how each barrier can foster either monopoly or oligopoly. What barriers, if any, do you feel give rise to monopoly that will allow the government to become involved to protect consumers? WEEK 5 ECO 204 NEW Week 5 DQ 1 Transfers: Why would cash transfers typically be preferred by recipients over in-kind transfers? What are the pros and cons of each from a government perspective? Respond to at least two of your classmates ECO 204 NEW Week 5 DQ 2 Tariffs and Quotas: Who gains and who loses from a tariff? How do the effects of tariffs differ from the effects of quotas? If you were a small country, what would you rather utilize? ECO 204 NEW Week 5 Final Paper Importance of Economic Market Structures Before an organization or investor makes a strategic decision to enter a product in today’s economy, a thorough market analysis is vital to fully comprehend the domestic and international demand, current suppliers, entry and exit barriers present, and cost of production for the product or service being provided. The culmination of this investigation identifies the market structure the product resides in, associated potential long-run profitability, cost efficiency, survivability, and incentives for future entrepreneurs. This paper will describe the characteristics of four such market structures: perfect competition, monopolistic competition, oligopoly, monopoly while providing an illustrative example of each. The paper further describes the competitive pressures with high entry barriers, preferred selling and buying markets, projected reaction to price changes for elastic and inelastic goods, government intervention and the expected effect of international trade on economic ma rkets. Understanding how a product and associated production firm fits into an economic market structure is vital to investors as it impacts the firm’s motivations, opportunities and business strategies. A successful economic analyst identifies the attributes of the applicable market structure, then using the known market assumptions predicts the implicit and explicit costs of production and projected market outcomes. However, in order to accurately classify the correct market structure, the economic analyst must first be aware of the defining attributes of each market. The paper next describes  the characteristics of a perfect competition, monopolistic competition, oligopoly, and monopoly market structure.

Green Fire Whirlwind

Green Fire Whirlwind Its easy to make your own green fire whirlwind or twister. This is a variation of the regular fire tornado project, except using a flame colorant to produce green fire. Green Fire Whirlwind Materials cylindrical mesh container (such as stapled chicken wire, screen or a metal mesh trashcan)turntable or carousel (or even a rotating chair or stool)methanol or other alcoholboric acid, borax or copper sulfate Make the Green Fire Whirlwind Make sure the mesh cylinder fits on the turntable and freely rotates.Prepare a colorant fuel: Dissolve some boric acid in a small amount of methanol. If you dont have methanol, you can use borax or copper sulfate with rubbing alcohol.Place a fireproof container of the colorant fuel inside the mesh cylinder, which is on the turntable.Ignite the fuel and give the turntable a spin.The fire will go out on its own or you can blow it out. Watch a video of this fire project. Safety Information Use reasonable precautions when performing fire projects. Do not perform this green fire project near flammable object. Have a means of extinguishing the fire, should an accident occur. While this project may be performed using solid fuel, the spinning surface may cause a solid to fly outward, presenting a hazard. The use of liquid fuel is advised. Methanol is toxic and may be absorbed through the skin, so if you use this chemical, avoid skin contact or inhalation of fumes.

Healthcare Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 4

Healthcare - Essay Example According to the policy on vendor relationships, medical practitioners should base all their decisions on integrity of medical research, analysis and professional judgments. Their professionalism should not be affected by their relationship with vendors in the medical field. Such inducements have been found to influence decisions by medical practitioners. After a thorough medical examination, healthcare practitioners, for example, doctors should be in a position to prescribe the proper medicine to a patient. According to Wazana (2000), physicians should base their decisions only on the patient’s health condition and prescribe appropriate medicine whether it is from an inducing pharmaceutical company or not. This is because their role is to save patients’ lives and not to promote products from pharmaceutical companies. They should not allow anyone else to affect their decisions regarding medical procedures or drug prescriptions. Unfortunately, in some cases, it has been noted that some medical practitioner do not base their prescriptions on the patient’s health needs. They prescribe medicine in favor of some pharmaceutical companies that give them inducements in the form of gifts, sponsorship in graduate education or Continued Medical Education (CME) and food. These gifts influence the prescription patterns of the physicians even to the risk of the patient’s health. This has turned their role from medical practitioners into ‘sales people’ for pharmaceutical companies (Wazana, 2000). It has affected the standard of drugs, and medical devices and equipment ordered by medical practitioners for use in their medical practice hence compromising the standard of medical care offered to patients. The quality of some drug samples and therapeutic devices has not been proven by the pharmacy and therapeutics committee. This means that a lot of lives are in danger, especially patients whose medical conditions require medicine from a

History of Christianity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

History of Christianity - Essay Example But this was not for long. Unlike other groups or so-called messiah, Jesus was believed to rise from the dead. Before Jesus was born, teachings were already taught about a Messiah coming to the world and will save mankind from the wages of sin. They were expecting a savior from a well-off family, a son of a king or anyone that would be having a great power or authority. Ironically, Jesus came from a family of carpenters. He was born at the time everybody was sleeping, unnoticed. When Jesus grew up, his nature was to reveal God's plan, he was always with Pharisees and teachers. Jews then were separated. One part became followers and one part became haters. Those who believed Jesus' teachings followed him though they have different reasons. Some followed him just because they can get something out of Jesus, that is, they were healed from their sicknesses, Jesus taught and was able to change tax collectors from being greedy to open handed ( in which common people greatly benefit from it ) and others followed him because of their faith and belief that Jesus was truly the Messiah. The haters incl ude majority of the Pharisees. Pharisees were of great authority at that time. Anything they say were followed without questions. People greatly looked after them. When Jesus came, their followers decreased and they became afraid that a time would come that people would no longer hear them. Hence, they plotted plans to destroy the trust and attention that the people were giving to Jesus and his teachings. It became not that hard for them to get rid of Jesus since Jesus was claiming that he was the Messiah. They accused Jesus of being disrespectful and committing blasphemy until they were able to put Him on a stood. Jesus' death became very frustrating in the part of Jesus disciples and his followers. But beyond their knowledge, this was God's original plan. Jesus was raised from the dead after three days. He showed himself to his disciples and left very important instructions. It became a proof that what Jesus was teaching and claiming as being God himself is true. Further, the resurrection of Jesus became the ultimate distinction from other doctrines which were funded by various leaders who call themselves savior or messiah. Aside from Jesus, there were no other people who claim the same as what Jesus does. After their death, they were no more. They left no history and no future as well. Through time, the success of Christianity became established. The re-bonding of the disciples after Jesus' resurrection, their faithfulness, commitment and love to the mission that Jesus left were the utmost reason of the religion's success. Moreover, at one point in the Greek history, it was said that Christianity had no alternative but to become a religion immersed in Greek culture and language. Jews were hoping for a Messiah who would come to build a new Jerusalem, but their hopes were dashed under emperors Titus and Hadran Romans encouraged gentiles to settle in Judea after the Jews revolted. The destruction of Jerusalem also strengthened the followers of Christianity who did not believe that a new kingdom would be built on earth but in a heavenly body. Christianity played an important role in the development and functioning of the Roman Empire. Largely, Christianity became the universal religion. Christianity started as a denomination of Judaism based on the