The Impact of Computers on Education :: Educational Technology Essays

The Impact of Computers on Education Technology is all around us these days. If you don't understand the basics of computers and how to run one your choices of jobs and things to do are limited. Almost everywhere you go and every job you can think of uses computers. For this reason, computers have become a big part of the education system. I'm planning on teaching elementary students so I researched the impact that computers have had on teachers and students. When I become a teacher there is no doubt that I will use computers in my classroom and my students will do activities with computers. It is just the way to do things now. There are so many valuable programs out there to help students learn and to help teachers teach that computers are pretty much a necessity in classrooms. In my opinion for an elementary classroom there should be at least five to ten computers in each room. Without the access to the computers it is hard to take advantage of all the wonderful things a computer has to offer. Even using the internet has a source of information for the students or has a tutorial for students who are struggling. There are so many ways that classrooms will benefit from computers. The first thing I looked at was how teachers were being affected by computers. "Integrating technology into your teaching can change the way you deliver content to your classes.[1]" Not only are teachers affected by having to do grades and attendance by computers now but, they also have to worry about teaching their students about computers and integrating it into the daily lesson plans. By doing attendance on computers it saves a lot of time and confusion for schools. No one has to go around and pick up attendance and it does not have to be recorded anymore. Just one easy, quick step and it is all taken care of. In my opinion although computers can be very helpful it might take a while and some long hours for a teacher to switch over from running a classroom one way to using computers in their daily lesson plans.

Ameritrade Case

Rickets believes hat the investment carries a lot of risk that requiring a more in-depth financial justification as opposed to Marinade's existing financial policy. Through initial discussions with Mr.. Rickets, we have agreed upon a financial analysis, adopting the CAMP model, to calculate the cost of capital of the investment. Mr.. Rickets & his management team will then make a sound financial decision basing on our analysis results. According to our agreed plans, Mr.. Rickets has specifically requested us to perform the following three tasks and provide our recommendation accordingly. . Briefly discuss the asset beta and CAMP model, and explain the steps for computing the asset beta and CAMP to produce the cost of capital for the Investment project. II. Mr.. Rickets is aware that Marinated does not have a beta estimate due to short trading history, and demands us to hand pick comparable firms that will be valuable In assessing the risk of Marinade's planned Investment. Ill. Using the supplied financial data to calculate the asset betas for the comparable firms. L. Definition of Asset beta.Beta represents a measure of the volatility, or systematic risk, of a security or a oratorio in comparison to the market as a whole. It is also known as â€Å"beta coefficient†. And Is calculated using regression analysis. It represents the tendency of a security's returns to respond to swings in the market. Beta can be calculated by dividing the covariance between the return on the asset and the return on the market and the variance of the market This relationship is represented by the following formula: Levered versus unleavened Beta.Unleavened Beta compares the risk of an unleavened company to the risk of the market. The unleavened beta Is the beta of a company without any debt. Enlivening a beta removes the financial effects from leverage. The formula to calculate a company's unleavened beta is: This number provides a measure of how much systematic risk a firm's equity has when compared to the market. Enlivening the beta removes any beneficial effects gained by adding debt to the firm's capital structure.Comparing companies' unleavened betas gives an Investor a better Idea of how much risk they will be taking on when purchasing a firms' stock. Levered Beta, on the contrary, represents market risk of the investment taking into consideration market risk of the debt. Definition of CAMP (Capital Asset Pricing Model) CAMP is a model that describes the relationship between risk and expected return and that is used in the pricing of risky securities. The cost of equity is approximated Premium). Definition of the cost of capital.The cost of funds used for financing a business. Cost of capital depends on the mode of financing used – it refers to the cost of equity if the business is financed solely through equity, or to the cost of debt if it is financed solely through debt. Many companies use a combination of debt and equity to finance their businesses, and for such companies, their overall cost of capital is derived from a weighted average of all capital sources, widely known as the weighted average cost of capital (WAC).Since the cost of capital represents a hurdle rate that a company must overcome before it can generate value, it is extensively used in the capital budgeting process to determine whether the company should proceed with a project. Steps in calculating Beta for Marinated: With the above explanation, the cost of capital for Marinated is, calculated by the CAMP model, will be using the three major steps: 1. Determine the Ref (risk-free rate) hat best reflects the market 2. Determine the Asset Beta for Marinated 3. Determine RMI (market-return rate).We will decide on the Ref and RMI with the supplied return data (Historical and current). On the other hand, we will diligently pick the best comparable firms, and then calculate the covariance between the past returns on the comparable firms and the return on market portfolio. Lastly, we produce a beta estimate by dividing the covariance (previously calculated) by the variance of the market. Market stock returns for indices such as NYSE, AMES and Nasdaq, which present the weighed average of all US publicly traded firms, are available in Exhibit 6 of the case.The returns are presented for the time period of 1984 to 1997. Returns on comparable firms in the Investment Services industry are also presented in the same exhibit. It is important to point out that the firms presented are full-service brokerage firms and are less sensitive to market movements than Marinated due to the fact that deep-discount brokers such as Marinated do not engage in asset management and investment banking services like full-service brokers do. Marinade's revenue stream is fully dependent on its brokerage operations.Given the above, we suggest to calculate covariance between each one of the four investment services firms presented and the market as a whole represe nted by the indices provided. Next step is to divide each of the results from step one by the market variance calculated based on the indices presented in Exhibit 6. In essence, we have calculated Betas for each of the four comparable firms. Then we would calculate an average of the four betas to use as an estimated Beta for Marinated. However, as motioned above, Marinated has a more volatile business model than full service investment firms.Therefore, we need to increase the resulting Beta by some estimated factor in order to be able to represent corresponding market risk more accurately. II. In determining the appropriate comparable for Marinated, we ran into a challenge of finding a direct comparison in both operating risk and capital structure risk. In this analysis, we are making the assumption that Marinated will need to take on some debt in order to fund the additional investments in to technology and marketing squired.We decided to look at three types of companies for as pot ential comps for Brothers, Merrill Lynch, etc. ) 2) Discount Brokerage Firms (e. G. Charles Schwab, E*Trade, Quick & Reilly Group, etc. ) 3) Internet Companies (e. G. Macromedia, Netscape, Yahoo) Operationally the full service brokers don't share the same level of risk as Marinated. Marinade's business is very sensitive to the performance of the stock market since almost all of their revenue is generated through brokerage. During a market decline, investors tend to decrease investing activities, thus Marinade's venue suffers.The full service brokers have less sensitivity to the overall market because the also offer other services, such as asset management and investment banking. The higher operating risk associated with discount brokerage firms, including Marinated, would lead to higher betas in comparison to the full service brokers. In comparing the capital structure of the other discount brokerage firms, Marinated will have more risk (requiring a high Beta) since they will be car rying debt (other than Charles Schwab (. 25) Debt-to-Capital, none of the other discount brokerages carry debt).We do feel that Marinade's competitive advantage over the other discount brokerage firms comes through technology (more specifically reliable internet based transactions), so using other internet based companies as comps makes sense. But, like the other discount brokerage firms, the other internet comps carry no debt, so the financial risk is going to be lower in comparison to Marinated. In order to determine the best comps, we decided to take a mull-faceted approach. For one, we determine the statistical significance (analysis is later on in this report) of each of the betas to eliminate some of the comps.Through that analysis, we determined that E*Trade, Macromedia, and Netscape did not have enough history to be statistically significant. To further narrow the list, we also determined that Charles Schwab Corp. and Waterholes Investor Services were the most comparable fir ms since they both are discount brokerage firms with a very significant percentage of revenue and coming from brokerage (99% for Charles Schwab and 82% for Waterholes) and they also both have debt (currently Waterholes has no debt but has historically) in their capital structure. As far as full service brokers, we feltRaymond James Financial and Paine Webber were good comps. Both firms had a large percentage of revenue coming from brokerage (51% for Raymond James and 46% for Paine Webber) and both firms carry some debt (especially Paine Webber) in their capital structure. We also decided to throw in Yahoo as a comps since Marinated is largely an internet based company. In the end, we determine an average of Charles Schwab Corp., Waterholes Investor Services, and Yahoo made the best beta estimate. Ill. An important component of analyzing Marinade's cost of capital is to use the betas of comparable firms.

The City: Creating a Sense of a Place

A few miles south of central London, the gentle flow of an open sewer runs deep and green, glistening ever so closely to Green Park, pattering on at its own tranquil pace, before reaching off into the distance. On one side of this unappealing canal, the golden walls of the council flats reach on until clashing with the lively air of the vibrant city, but on the park side, the bank lined with shrubs- fresh and green with every spring, carry in their lower leaf junctures the reminder of the debris of the stormy winds; and broken bottles gleaming in the morning sun, tall dark weeds with their whittled leaves as a testimony to their harsh life. On the sandy bank under the bushes the leaves lie so crisp that even a rat makes a great skittering noise if he were to run across them. Gangsters came out in the evening, all of them looking frightened and panicky while looking around constantly as if they were expecting something bad to happen, once they're happy warm streets soon start teeming with the activity that can only be found in such an able community. The ladies of the nights hurrying along to their corners, their high heals clattering with every step. They leave a lingering scent of cheap perfume and their adventures of the night before. Each inhabitant looked as though they belonged no place but there. Suddenly the shady streets burst with the melodic roar of street life; the gentle sirens in the back ground, the arguing of neighbours that have become almost mandatory in this little place, the roar of the cars as they sped past and the sound of their horns when trapped like a corned beast, the incessant dog barking, the booming music with its heavy bass filling the streets and the wind whistling through the gaps in the buildings. There is a road leading past the bushes and through the park, driven rough by boys coming out of the nearby college, their wheels screeching like a tortured cat as they make their way to the city centre, and driven hastily by bureaucrats coming down from the adjacent office block to spend a night in the pub and drink away their guilty life. In front of the low horizontal limb of a giant sycamore nearby to this pub, there is a bench that's been worn down after many drunken nights; the bench's paint is worn by the many tramps that have spent night after night on it, the many drunks passing out on it and just your average common vandal looking to leave their mark in the crumbling neighbourhood, a desperate attempt to get some attention from the uncaring world. The evening of a hot day started with little wind, moving among the people, creating the effect of a Mediterranean bar. The shade climbed up the street towards the end. Outside the pub lone drunks sat noisily, like little grey sculptured stones, passers by hurriedly avoiding the stench of stale beer and urine. Then from the highway came the sound of sirens on a busy road, the drunks looked worriedly around, few even scattering into the shadows not wanting to be the one pulled away for a minor infringement of the law. Out of one of the flats a frightened kid hurried down the road and around the corner, fleeing from the familiar sound of â€Å"BOY, does your mother know you're out? † For a moment the place was lifeless, nothing was moving and there was an eerie stillness. Gradually two police cars emerged from the distance, creeping towards the pub only to pull up next to the park bench. Two policemen get out then pompously and arrogantly make their way to the pub while meeting the gazes of the nearby onlookers and revelling in the effect they had on the innocent drinkers. Everyone stirred, whether they were guiltily looking into their glasses or starting up a false conversation, they were all thinking the same thing, going over in their head all the crimes they had committed in their life, wondering about their innocence. Then, before the cops could even order a drink, a group of gangsters, covered from head to toe in black clothes, suddenly emerged from the shadows, their gold chains glittering in the dim light. They met eyes with the cops. There were a few moments when no-one moved before there was a crash as the cops outside table was overturned and used as temporary cover. Almost simultaneously, the gangsters dived behind some bushes surrounding the nearby park bench. The pubs customers were stunned in awe, they did not realise what was going on until the first piercing gunshot entered their ears, immediately followed by a blood curling feminine scream that lasted for only a few seconds before disappearing into the mixture of blood, gunshots and terrified yelps. At first neither side was giving in despite the incredible amount of frenzied bystanders. After a few moments of chaos people started stampeding and fighting with each other to get inside first. A mother tried to shield her baby in a pushchair as she ran for cover. A teenager films it with his phone from behind a bush hoping for the fame that usually preceded such events. No one is sure how long it lasted but all that was left was the bodies of the dead, the cries of the wounded and two extremely proud looking cops. No one dared to speak or even move, they rather just lay there, motionlessly. Then almost as if they knew their cue, birds started chirping and a gust of wind started blowing. And for a brief moment the chaos that had just consumed this little street subsided.

Mit Case Study

BCG – Join BCG – Interview Prep – Practice Cases – Distribution†¦ http://www. bcg. com/join_bcg/interview_prep/practice_cases/dis†¦ The Boston Consulting Group Home > Join BCG > Interview Prep > Practice Cases > Distribution Strategy Distribution Strategy Crafting a Distribution Strategy for a Sugar Cereal Manufacturer Your client is the sugar cereal division of Foods Inc. , a U. S. -based distributor and manufacturer of packaged foods. According to the division president, Foods Inc. ‘s traditional strength has been with grocery stores, which still account for the majority of its $1. billion in sugar cereal sales. But Big M Mart, a discount chain, has been growing at a healthy rate of almost 15 percent per year and has now become Food Inc. ‘s largest customer. Your client is not sure how to react, and has asked BCG for assistance with its distribution strategy. Establish Understanding of the Case First, let me make sure I understand t he problem. Our client specializes in sugar cereals traditionally distributed through grocery stores. Sales to Big M Mart, a discount chain, have been growing at 15 percent per year, and the chain has recently become the largest distributor of the client's product nationwide.We are here to help evaluate the distribution strategy in light of Big M Mart's growth. That is correct. Could you explain to me how grocery stores differ from discount stores? Sure. Grocery stores generally specialize in food, as well as selling some household goods and over-the-counter pharmaceuticals. Discount stores, on the other hand, offer food alongside a wide variety of merchandise, including clothing, home electronics, and housewares. Does Big M Mart market its food products differently than do grocery stores? Discount stores advertise lower prices for a wide variety of foods, particularly staple, nonperishable foods.Could I take a moment to write a few notes to myself? Please feel free. Set Up the Fram ework Before making recommendations, I think we would need to evaluate whether sales growth at Big M Mart is good or bad for Foods, Inc. To do that, I would first look at how its sugar cereal performance at Big M Mart compares with that in other distribution channels. Second, I would look at its performance at Big M Mart in relation to competitors' performance. Next, I would determine what drives customer purchases. Finally, I would want to understand the supply chain.That certainly sounds like a reasonable approach. Let's proceed. Evaluate the Case Using the Framework 1 of 6 10/2/09 6:57 PM BCG – Join BCG – Interview Prep – Practice Cases – Distribution†¦ http://www. bcg. com/join_bcg/interview_prep/practice_cases/dis†¦ First, I would like to get a better sense of where Big M Mart stands in relation to our client's other distribution channels by examining the client's sales data and margins, by distributor. The marketing department does not hav e margins by channel, but tracks sales and volume for its top five distributors.What does this imply about Big M Mart as a distribution outlet? It looks as if the top distributors have been growing more important, but particularly Big M Mart, which is growing faster than all the others. This is particularly true when we look at volume, where Big M Mart's growth is much higher than that of the other four channels. And how could you interpret what these data says about margins? While the client's sales through other distribution channels are growing faster than volume, Big M Mart volume and sales growth are the same, so the average price paid by Big M Mart has remained constant.That implies that sales growth at Big M Mart could have negative implications for our client's margins. Next, I would like to look at how our client is doing in relation to the competition within Big M Mart. Have they been gaining or losing market share? How might you find that out? I would try to interview Big M Mart's purchasing personnel, since they would probably track those data for their own purposes. Why would they want to talk to you? How might you approach such an interview? I would approach the purchasing personnel and suggest that our client and Big M Mart work ogether to identify best practices to reduce costs and increase sales of sugar cereals at Big M Mart. Let's say in a perfect world you could get a breakdown of Big M Mart sales for the four largest competitors (see market shares below). 2 of 6 10/2/09 6:57 PM BCG – Join BCG – Interview Prep – Practice Cases – Distribution†¦ http://www. bcg. com/join_bcg/interview_prep/practice_cases/dis†¦ What can we infer about our client's competitors within this channel? Who should they be worried about? It looks like our client is losing market share, as is Tasty Breakfast, while Cereal Co. nd Private Label are gaining share. Private Label, however, looks to be growing from a very small base. I w ould like to explore why our client is losing market share to Cereal Co. at Big M Marts. Are their prices better than those of our client? After a period of price wars six to seven years ago that lowered industry margins, the cereal companies have refrained from price competition within the same channel. If prices are not driving the difference, I would look at other factors such as brand selection, percentage of shelf space, product placement, and in-store promotions.Visits to Big M Marts indicate that each name-brand company holds 30 percent of the shelf space, while private label has 10 percent. Cereal Co. brands, however, tend to be placed lower on the shelf than your client's products. Well, I suspect that children are a large target market for the sugar cereal manufacturers. The lower shelf placement could be especially important to children who are looking at the different types of cereals. Are there any other promotions? Some Cereal Co. brands have sales promotion tags, and the team notes that store flyers advertise specials on Cereal Co. rands for Big M Mart customer cardholders. So, even if all the companies are maintaining product prices, maybe Cereal Co. is strategically discounting prices to gain market share. It seems as if there is evidence of cooperation between Cereal Co. and Big M Mart. Do we know anything about their relationship? During earlier discussions with Big M Mart, you discovered that your client's competitors have 50 sales representatives dedicated to the Big M Mart account. Your client has seven. Cereal Co. appears to be dedicating more resources to its relationship with Big M Mart than our client is.This may explain its better product placement and promotion programs. 3 of 6 10/2/09 6:57 PM BCG – Join BCG – Interview Prep – Practice Cases – Distribution†¦ http://www. bcg. com/join_bcg/interview_prep/practice_cases/dis†¦ I think I have a good sense of distribution and competition. I would now like to look at the customers and understand why they select the products they do. One hypothesis I have is that shifting brand loyalties are hurting our client's market share at Big M Mart. That's interesting. What do you think might motivate purchases of sugar cereals?There are lots of factors, such as the games in the boxes, the price of the cereal itself, how it tastes. To better understand consumer behavior, we might conduct market research, possibly through focus groups, customer observation, and price sensitivity studies. BCG teams often do such research. Let's assume your team conducts some analysis. Your research concludes that most buyers tend to fall into two categories. Approximately 60 percent of buyers go straight to one cereal and grab it. We can call this group the â€Å"brand-loyal† shoppers.Another 40 percent of shoppers look at all the cereals and then select one that interests them. Let's call this group the â€Å"impulse† buyers. For the brand-loya l shopper, the priority would be product availability, while product placement would be important for consumers who like to shop around. Within these groups, are consumers price sensitive such that one brand can lure shoppers loyal to another brand? In general, your research indicates that consumers are not price sensitive and are extremely loyal to their preferred brand.But when the preferred cereal is unavailable, the brand-loyal customers will purchase discounted cereals approximately 35 percent of the time. Well, from that information, it appears that price is not a major driver of purchases unless the preferred cereal is out of stock. In these stock-out situations, you said, brand-loyal customers will purchase discounted cereals 35 percent of the time. What happens when the customer does not purchase a discounted cereal? In approximately 25 percent of cases, the customer walks away without purchasing any cereal at all.In the remaining 40 percent of cases, the brand-loyal custom er will act like an impulse shopper and select another brand. Interesting. It seems as if product availability could be a major driver of total cereal volume for Big M Mart. Of course, we would need to know how often stock-outs occur that cause consumers to walk away without purchasing cereal occur. Since I have a pretty good understanding of customer motivation, I'd now like to ask a few questions about the client's supply chain. I would want to talk to our client's distribution personnel to understand the distribution process and to determine how often stock-outs occur.Can you describe how our client's cereal is distributed at Big M Mart? Cereals are distributed from the factory to the distributor's warehouse twice monthly. The retailer then stocks the shelves itself. Do we have any knowledge about when the individual stores are out of stock? No, we do not, since our client only delivers to the warehouses and has no direct access to in-store inventory information. Since we identif ied product availability as a key success factor earlier on, I would want to make sure that the stores were stocking the product correctly.Let's say that in your earlier in-store investigations, you found out that Big M Mart stores averaged 15 percent of sugar cereal brands out-of-stock, across all brands. 4 of 6 10/2/09 6:57 PM BCG – Join BCG – Interview Prep – Practice Cases – Distribution†¦ http://www. bcg. com/join_bcg/interview_prep/practice_cases/dis†¦ Stock-outs would be a major problem for our client, since 60 percent of customers look for a specific brand of cereal and 35 percent of them would buy a discounted brand in a stock-out situation.Big M Mart would also have an incentive to reduce out-of-stock incidents, since 25 percent of the time, a brand-loyal customer will walk away without buying anything. Summarize and make recommendations Big M Mart is our client's leading customer, accounting for more than 20 percent of our client's su gar cereal revenue. Although sales to Big M Mart are increasing on an absolute basis, our client's margins there are lower than in its other channels and its competitive position is eroding in that channel. At Big M Mart, our client faces competition from both private label and Cereal Co. although the latter appears to be the greater threat. There appears to be a relationship between Big M Mart and Cereal Co. as evidenced by their joint promotions, the superior placement of the Cereal Co. product, and the substantial resources that Cereal Co. has dedicated to the Big M Mart account. We learned that 60 percent of customers are brand-loyal, implying product availability is most important. However, 40 percent like to try different kinds of cereal, indicating product placement is also important.Purchasers do not appear to be price conscious, unless the type of cereal they are looking for is out of stock, in which case there is a stronger tendency to base purchases on price promotions. I n terms of distribution, our client is making deliveries twice a month to Big M Mart's warehouses. Big M Mart, in turn, is responsible for stocking the shelves. We currently have no direct knowledge of when our client's items are out of stock at the individual stores, but there is evidence that stock-outs do occur with some frequency. Well, it sounds as if you understand the situation. What would you recommend the client do?The sales through Big M Mart appear to have a negative impact on the bottom line, as they have lower margins than sales through grocery stores. The client could work with grocery stores to ensure that they are able to compete effectively with Big M Mart in the sugar cereal market. This strategy could be risky, however, since Big M Mart is a large and important customer. Therefore, I would recommend that our client work more collaboratively with Big M Mart. To defend its current position at Big M Mart stores, the client should move toward a partnership with Big M Mart and dedicate more resources to the relationship.The customer and competitor data indicate that our client's first priority should be to improve distribution to ensure better product availability. In addition, it should push for product placement equal to, if not better than, that of its competitors. Why would Big M Mart be willing to enter into a partnership with Foods Inc? Foods Inc could offer to share its information about customer behavior to help increase revenues for both itself and Big M Mart. Stock-outs hurt Big M Mart in two ways. First, some brand-loyal customers simply walk away without purchasing cereal whenever their preferred brand is unavailable.Second, we know that other brand-loyal customers purchase lower-priced cereal whenever they encounter a stock-out of their preferred brand. Both of these instances lower Big M Mart's revenue. By eliminating stock-outs, Big M Mart could increase its sales by simply ensuring that customers don't walk away without making a p urchase. Converting these purchase occasions to sales would increase Big M Mart's sales of sugar cereals by more than 2 percent(1). Better availability also helps Big M Mart and our client increase their revenue by deterring the brand-loyal shoppers from trading down to lower-priced cereals.Recall that 35 percent of the brand-loyal shoppers purchase a discounted cereal if their preferred brand is not available. If improved distribution now makes the preferred brands more consistently available, the customers will pay a higher price for these products. Finally, we could use the information about consumer purchase behavior to help persuade Big M Mart to 5 of 6 10/2/09 6:57 PM BCG – Join BCG – Interview Prep – Practice Cases – Distribution†¦ http://www. bcg. com/join_bcg/interview_prep/practice_cases/dis†¦ share information about product availability in its individual stores.We could work with our client and Big M Mart to improve the current distri bution system to allow for more economical deliveries, while at the same time ensuring that our client's product is consistently available in the store. Thank you. Those sound like solid recommendations, but I would suggest that you fully understand the root cause of the stock-out situations and the cost to eliminate them before moving ahead. (1) 15 percent out of stock x 60 percent brand-loyal customers x 25 percent willing to forgo purchase = 2. 25 percent 6 of 6 10/2/09 6:57 PM

Low birth weight and preterm babies Essay

Low birth weight and preterm babies in United States is increasing. Low birth weight babies are babies who are born with the birth weight of less than 5 lbs. either due to preterm delivery or due to restriction of growth inside the uterus. These low birth weight babies are at increased risk for early death and long-term health and developmental issues than infants born later in pregnancy or at higher birth weights. Not all preterm infants are low birth weight, and vice versa. Racial/Ethnic and Socioeconomic Disparities: Disparities in racial and culture exist with preterm and low birth weight infants. According to child health USA 2010 report, low birth weight infants who were born to non-Hispanic black women were more than the infants born to other racial and ethnic group. The infants born to non- Hispanic black women was 3.0 percent whereas the infants born to non- Hispanic white women was only 1.2 percent. The American Indian was 1.3 percent and the all other races were 1.5 percent with low birth weight infants. Causes for preterm and low birth weight babies: Previous delivery of low birth weight babies or preterm deliveries. Teen of age less than 20 years or advanced maternal age of greater than 35 years. Any maternal health problems such as hypertension, Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STD’s). Use of substance abuse during pregnancy such as alcohol, cigarette smoking and cocaine use. Low socio-economic status with no medical insurance, Lack of nutrition at the time of pregnancy. Physical and mental stress during pregnancy. Violence, abuse or exposures to secondhand smoke are some of the causes for preterm and low birth weight infants (Morrin, 2008, p.8). Impact on family and society: Preterm and low birth weight infants possess greater risk not only for the infants, but also for the families and the society as well. The impact of very low-birth-weight infants on the family is long lasting. Preterm  infants born at less than 34 weeks are at high risk for poor outcomes, including chronic health conditions, long-term disability, and death. The loss of a baby can be a devastating experience for a family. Many preterm and low birth weight infants that survive the perinatal period are vulnerable to a host of childhood morbidities such as cerebral palsy, chronic lung disease, and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Adolescents born prior to 35 weeks of completed gestation have been shown to have a higher degree of abnormal brain development and cognitive and behavioral problems than adolescents born full-term. These poorer birth outcomes have also been associated with serious health conditions in adulthood, such as cardiovascular disease, Type II diabetes, and hypertension. The financial costs associated with treating preterm labor and delivery is quite high. The parents of low birth weight infants have higher scores for financial burden, familial/social impact, personal strain, and mastery. And they experience more impact when children had a functional handicap or low adaptive developmental quotient (â€Å"APHA: Policy Statement Database†, August 11, 2006). In the society they cause more medical costs due to the length of stay in neonatal intensive care unit. Usually women with poor socio economic conditions, homeless are greatest risk for low birth weight infants and they have no medical insurances. This possesses greater impact on the society because their costs have to be picked up by Medicaid or the hospital system. Regarding community resources, I feel there are enough resources available in the community for preterm infants and their families, The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is currently promoting preconception and post conception care as critical to improve the health of the nation. Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to improve outcomes for the mother and her family. New Jersey has lots of support services for pregnant women and women with low birth weight infants, they are, Nutrition programs, food banks, and food stamps Financial assistance for medical care, utilities, and unemployment benefits Organizations for children with special developmental or medical needs Head Start and other educational programs Medical care and insurance resources Counseling services and more (Preemie care, n.d). References: APHA: Policy Statement Database. (August 11, 2006). Retrieved April 15, 2014, from http://www.apha.org/advocacy/policy/policysearch/default.htm?id=1326 Morrin, J. (2008, September). Addressing Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Low Birth weight for Connecticut. Retrieved April 15, 2014, from http://www.ct.gov/dph/lib/dph/family_health/health_disparities_in_lbw_final_report_10_1_08.pdf Preemie Care -RSV (Respiratory syncytial virus) Awareness & Prevention. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.preemiecare.org/supportgroups.htm#NJ Very Low Birth Weight – Child Health USA 2010. (n.d.). Retrieved April 15, 2014, from http://www.mchb.hrsa.gov/chusa10/hstat/hsi/pages/203vlbw.html.

Anti-Inflammatory Drug Tests

Anti-Inflammatory Drug Tests The method described by Lorke with slight modification was used to determine the safety of the MEA. Briefly, normal healthy male mice were divided into groups of five mice in each cage. MEA (100 and 1000 mg/kg) or vehicle were intraperitoneally administered. Access to food and water, toxic symptoms and the general behavior of mice were observed continuously for 1 h after the treatment, intermittently for 4 h, and thereafter over a period of 24 h. The mice were further observed for up to 14 days following treatment for any signs of toxicity and mortality. Result Over the study duration of 14 days, there were no deaths recorded in the groups of mice given 100 or 1000 mg/kg IP of MEA. During the observation period, MEA administration did not induce any variations in the general appearance or toxic signs in the animals. The writhing test has long been used as a screening tool for the assessment of analgesic or anti-inflammatory properties of new substances (Collier et al., 1968). This m ethod presents a good sensitivity, although it has poor specificity. To avoid misinterpretation of the results, in the present study the antinociceptive effects of MEA were confirmed in the formalin test, a model of inflammatory pain which has two distinctive phases which may indicate different types of pain (Hunskaar and Hole, 1987). The early and late phases of formalin test have obvious differential properties, and therefore this test is useful not only for assessing the analgesic substances, but also for elucidating the mechanism of analgesia (Shibata et al., 1989). The early phase,  named non-inflammatory pain, is a result of direct stimulation of nociceptors and reflects centrally-mediated pain; the late phase,  named inflammatory pain, is caused by local inflammation with a release of inflammatory and hyperalgesic mediators (Hunskaar  and Hole, 1987). The thermal model of the tail-flick test is considered to be a spinal reflex, but could also involve higher neural struc tures, and therefore this method identifies mainly central analgesics (Jensen and Yaksh, 1986; Le Bars et al., 2001). Due to their implication in virtually all human and animal diseases, inflammation and pain have become the focus of global scientific research. Adverse effects of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and opioids have necessitated the search for new drugs with minimal side effects (Dharmasiri et al.,2003; Vittalrao et al., 2011). The current trend of research is the investigation of medicines of plant origin because of their affordability and accessibility with minimal side effects. The thermal model of the tail-flick test is considered to be a spinal reflex, but could also involve higher neural structures, and therefore this method identifies mainly central analgesics (Jensen and Yaksh, 1986; Le Bars et al., 2001). The analgesic activity of Cyathula prostrata in this study was investigated using the hot plate and mouse writhing tests. The hot plate test is useful for the evaluation of centrally acting analgesics which are known to elevate the pain threshold of mice towards  heat (Hiruma-Lima et al., 2000). It also indicates narcotic involvement with opioid receptor (Turner, 1965). The writhing model is a sensitive method for screening peripheral analgesic efficacy agents and it is more sensitive to non-steroidal analgesics (Collier et al., 1963). The analgesic effect of acetic acid is due to the liberation and increased level of several mediators such as histamine and serotonin which act by stimulation of peripheral nociceptive neurons (Cui et al., 2010).

Adam Aircraft Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Adam Aircraft - Essay Example The strategies of the company were typically customer oriented that were endeavored towards producing light, comfortable, affordable and fast aircrafts. Findings The company faced many severe challenges. One of the prime challenges faced by the company was the availability of limited fund. The aspects of inadequate time and lack of skilled workforce were the other vital challenges for the company. At the same time, the company realized that in order to succeed in aircraft industry, it must develop new and innovative products. Recommendations Addressing the challenges faced by the company, certain recommendation have been given. In this regard, the company must cautiously utilize the available time and funds. Any kind of wastage within the company should be quickly curtailed. Further, it should seriously consider the rules and regulation prescribed by FAA in order to prevent any delays during the work process. Table of Contents Memo 2 Table of Contents 4 Introduction 5 Thesis Statemen t 5 Identification and Evaluation of the Company’s Existing Mission, Objectives and Strategies 5 Identification of the Key Strategic Issues (Problem Statement) 7 The Causes of the Problem 8 Identification of the Key Inferences and Assumptions 9 Alternative Solutions 10 Recommendations 12 Conclusion 15 Works Cited 16 Introduction Rick Adam, a successful entrepreneur who had a passion for flying, founded Adam Aircraft Company in the year 1998. Adam identified the market needs and conducted an efficient market research as well as analysis; as the result of his efforts, Adam Aircraft was founded. Rick Adam’s passion for flying has developed since his childhood - he got inspiration from his father, George Adam Sr who had served as an Air Force Officer during the World War II (Hedberg and Hamilton, â€Å"Adam Aircraft†). Thesis Statement This paper is all about making a thorough analysis of the case study relating to Adam Aircraft Company by concerning certain signifi cant aspects. In this regard, the aspects include the identification as well as the evaluation of the company’s existing mission, objectives and recognition of chief strategic issues along with the reasons for the problems. Various aspects such as the identification of the key facts and the assumptions drawn from the aforementioned aspects, proposition of alternative solutions and specific recommendations for action will also be portrayed in the paper. Identification and Evaluation of the Company’s Existing Mission, Objectives and Strategies During the period of the establishment of Adam Aircraft, it has been viewed that the airplane market possessed high entry barriers and required to invest huge capital in order to formulate as well as to implement effective business strategies. In this similar context, Rick identified the pitfalls associated with aircraft manufacturers that included the problems relating to aircraft designing, building and certifying new aircraft. F urthermore, he also identified the prime reasons behind the success and the failure of those companies who had entered the aircraft manufacturing industry with high enthusiasm. The detailed analysis of these significant factors ultimately led him towards recognizing new as well as innovative ways for entering into the aircraft industry. Rick founded the company with the purposeful mission of delivering quality and efficient products or services to its potential customers and ensuring greater customer satisfaction by meting their respective expectations and needs. At the same time, the objectives of the company were to manufacture and deliver advanced aircraft support structure sin the finest way to its valuable