Social Mention Defined free essay sample

Social Mention Social media is serves as an outlet for public relations practitioners to provide around the clock management for clients and publics. Cites like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn are just a few of the social media tools that are used to maintain relationships with publics and build brand names. The hassle of managing a variety of social media pages has produced the need for social media management tools. Social media management tools available are used to help further manage social media relationships and monitor success and failures of clients in social media.Social Mention is a management tool analyzes different content from a multitude of social media networks at one time. Public relations practitioners can use this tool to evaluate client’s relationships with publics on various social networks and measure their presence online. PR professionals utilize this tool to gauge the success of a brand, client, organization or product. We will write a custom essay sample on Social Mention Defined or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page This tool allows for quick and easy access to social media crisis management in order to maintain a positive image.Social Mention provides information such as the amount of users discussing a topic and what time of day a particular subject is being discussed. The tool provides in time reports covering what is going on at that exact moment in social media. Social Mention is a beneficial tool in the PR field. The tool provides reports describing categories such as strength, sentiment, passion and reach. Strength measures the possibility of a client being discussed in social media. The calculation for strength is simply the number of mentions of a keyword over the hours of a day.Sentiment determines the positive and negative ratio of a client referenced in social media. Passion is the measurement of how likely a client’s brand will be discussed repeatedly. Reach is the category that determines how many users the specific topic reaches and can potentially reach via social media. Reach is found by the number of authors referring to the specified word over the number of times it is mentioned. The different categories allow a user to tailor their image to improve positive popularity in social media.Social mention provides alerts to users e-mail accounts upon relevant updates regarding clients or brands of interest. Unfortunately, the updates only recognize keywords noted about a particular topic and disregard the context of the keywords. Therefore some notifications are unnecessary. Across the Internet PR practitioners take advantage of the benefits Social Mention has to offer. Bloggers rave about the efficiency and convenience of managing social networks all in one place. Healthy Choice launched a PR social media campaign based on the information gathered by Social Mention.The company used the feedback given on social networks to configure a campaign that would improve the Healthy Choice brand image in consumer’s minds. Once Healthy Choice improved social media relationships with its publics, social media involvement with the company skyrocketed. After offering a coupon on the Healthy Choice Facebook page, â€Å"likes† increased from under 10,000 to over 60,000. Social Mention helped Healthy Choice reach out to its publics and respond to their feedback. The data gathered from Social Mention provided Healthy Choice with the material it needed to increase the company’s popularity and improve the brand name.

Benefits of Walking Essay Example

Benefits of Walking Essay Example Benefits of Walking Essay Benefits of Walking Essay Benefits of daily walking Walking is one of the best and least expensive forms of exercise, and the easiest to perform. It is a proven weight loss strategy that not only reduces weight, but also reduces stress and tones the body. A Study conducted by Dr. James O. Hill in conjunction with the University of Colorado Health Science Center showed that walking 2000 additional steps daily prevents body weight gain. Additional research showed that 10,000 steps is the break point to lose weight. Walking is not only vital to weight loss, but it is also effective in reducing symptoms of hypertension, diabetes and it also lowers the risk to develop cancer. `How much walking is effective? The first study to determine how much walking is effective in weight reduction was conducted by the Center for Physical Activity and Health at the University of Tennessee. The Study involved eighty female participants with a median age of fifty. First, the researcher obtained data from the participant’s like weight, height, and body mass. The eighty participants wore a pedometer for a seven day period, and recorded their results nightly. The result showed that participants who recorded 10,000 steps had the highest decrease in body fat, body mass as well as waist and hips reduction. Although the results varied among the participants all of the results were positive in terms that they all noted a body weight reduction. Have in mind that 30 minutes of walking takes approximately 4000 steps, which burns around 200 calories. Therefore, if there is an intention of losing weight a diet plan is recommended along with the walking. Another benefit of walking at least 2000 additional steps daily is that it helps to prevent diseases like hypertension, diabetes and cancer. It’s simple. Walking increases the flow of blood circulating around the body which at the same time gets the heart pumping faster. So when you walk everyday your body burns calories. This helps to protect the heart and circulatory system by raising high-density lipoprotein (HDL), the good cholesterol, and keeps the amounts of sugars in the body balanced. Recently, the World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) has found that walking helps to regulate hormone levels causing to lower the risk of breast and prostate cancer; and last but not least walking also prevents the risk of colon cancer because it speeds up the digestive process, which gives less time to our bowel to be exposed to hazardous substances. Their data predicts that 45 minutes of walking everyday could prevent at least 5,500 cases of breast cancer in the UK alone. Its impressive how 45 minutes of daily exercise can make a real difference in a person’s health. Walking is the easiest exercise to perform and the best part is that there are tons of opportunities to increase your daily exercise without having to sacrifice much. If you cant find the time for longer workouts on a regular basis, try two or three shorter exercise sessions every day. Splitting your workouts into 15 or 10 minute throughout the day appears to work just as well as doing a full 30 minutes at once. Here are some smart recommendations on how stay healthy for those persons who like I think that we do not have enough time for physical activity or a workout. Taking the stairs instead of the elevator could be a great exercise for those work or study on tall buildings. Walking to nearby locations instead of riding the bus or a car is healthy for our body and wallet. These activities are easy ways to boost your heart rate and promote cardiovascular health, lower blood pressure and counter stress. Overall, we can conclude that walking follows a positive trend. Walking is not only a great exercise for maintaining health it’s also one of the best exercises to help control weight and maintain a fitted body shape. Don’t let good health walk on by, get it by incorporating walking into your lifestyle.

How Apps Can Change Our Health Care Environment Essay

How Apps Can Change Our Health Care Environment - Essay Example The trend is relatively new and not all operating systems have completely embraced it totally, however, this utility is slowly creeping in the technological and medical science field and enabling more benefits. Since the medical field pertains to specialization in one particular domain and that is of medicine, the chemical names and other chemical formulae, thereby the understanding may be difficult for common man. The first and foremost consideration in this regard should be that of the level of understanding of the common man. The language must be easy to interpret and should not be restricted to one particular set of people who may specialize in the medical field. Numerous operating systems have launched applications for the purpose of medical health. Apple Inc is one of the leaders in this field. They launched this service couple of years ago. medical apps are one similar endeavor undertaken by Apple Inc and it has the number of applications under its belt that facilitate better healthcare knowledge and awareness. Android Operating system is not far behind and it has introduced numerous applications for the same purpose. Applications may be created in different ways. Some that contain the technical information for the specialists and people directly associated while others as the common people who may need the general information. This application may be used to determine the number of calories that may be taken daily, along with other mathematical figures that must be kept in mind. Finding the accurate blood pressures, sugar level and all the relevant information about similar minor diseases, information can be given spread through such applications. Calculate by QxMD is another application that is used as a medical calculator for the same purpose.

We are writing a news story or a profile of someone interesting Essay

We are writing a news story or a profile of someone interesting. Perhaps you can interview someone in Saudi Arabia and write a story about them - Essay Example Being an assistant clinical professor of psychiatry at a reputed Jeddah hospital, Mr. Karim described how his life had changed since he stepped into the field of psychiatry. I started by asking him what the general responsibilities of his profession were. He replied that his main duty was to provide high quality psychiatric services, which included medication and therapeutic advice and sessions, to patients who came to him with a myriad of psychiatric problems. He worked both as a therapist and a medication advisor for most of the patients; while for some, he was only the medical advisor. He described that a typical shift of a psychiatrist included sessions with psychiatric patients. Each session was 30 minutes long, and he saw around 10 patients in a day. Continuing the interview, Mr. Karim explained that the biggest challenge he faced while working with a hospital was that, in contrast to private practice, he was not able to manage his working hours, which were set by the hospital authority. So, he did not have control over his time and schedule, which he missed when he was working as a solo practitioner in the past. He had to give explanations and put leave applications if he wanted to go on a leave. Also, the hospital demanded that he should be available to patients on phone all the time, 24/7, which was something that he was well managing as a solo practitioner. The hospital would also call him on weekends, on and off. He said that while working with the patients with difficult psychiatric conditions, it was sometimes very stressful for him to deal with stressors. Forgetting one’s own worries and dealing with others’ was what was required of him, which he was doing very well, but at times, he would become stressed out. He described how some patients gave him tough time. Some patients would attack him verbally to let go of their frustrations and anxiety, and it would become very hard for him to keep himself calm. However, he

Database Applications Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Database Applications - Research Paper Example Arnisted2 (2001) categorizes and differentiate these softwares as family software and business software depending upon contact information, medical records, hobbies, educational records, wish lists, diary, journal, etc. Groupware, also called as collaborative software, is an elementary component of a field of study known as Computer-Supported Cooperative Work or CSCW3. A few examples can be listed as Microsoft Exchange, MediaWiki, WetPaint, and ClassroomLive2.0 and so on. 2) What kinds of things do groupware users do with data? How does that data have to be treated? In general there are three functions of groupware, enabling human to converse, transact and collaborate the ‘information and knowledge’ (also termed as data), about self and others. Groupware users use data into several ways and for several purposes including sharing, analyzing, creating, discussing, debating, planning, summarizing, concluding, etc. Since data is a unique significant aspect for human individu al/group identity, this must be used and shared with utmost care. This can be used for semantic purposes, and, sometimes, can be misused too. Ample privacy and security of the data should be of prime concern while treating with this data. 3) Who pays the costs of groupware deployment? Who receives the benefits? Groupware can be freeware or shareware or authoring.

Nosocomial Infections: Literature Review

Nosocomial Infections: Literature Review Nosocomial infections are infections that are a result of treatment in a hospital or a healthcare unit. These infections are identified at least forty-eight to seventy-two hours following admission, so infections incubating, but not clinically apparent, at admission are excluded. It may also be within 30 days after discharge. With recent changes in health care delivery, the concept of nosocomial infections has sometimes been expanded to include other health care associated infections (Weinstein, 1991). These infections are also called hospital-acquired infection. Studies in the passed have reported that during hospitalization, at lest five percent of patients become infected. Similarly, a study carried out by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the United States estimates that roughly 1.7 million hospital-associated infections, from all types of bacteria combined, cause or contribute to 99,000 deaths each year. In Europe the deaths estimated are 25000 each year. However , the case is more seen in the category of Gram-negative infections, which accounts for an estimated two thirds of the total cases reported. Nosocomial infections are commonly transmitted as a result of negligence of hygiene by some hospital personnel. Medical officials move from one patient to another. Thus in a situation where they do not maintain high hygiene standards, the officials themselves serve as means for spreading dangerous pathogens. Moreover, bodys natural protective barriers of the patients are bypassed by some medical procedures such as surgeries and injections. Hence with such hygienic negligence in our hospitals and other healthcare units, nosocomial infections become the order of the day and my cause severe cases of pneumonia and infections of the urinary tract, bloodstream or other parts of the body. Causes of nosocomial infections Nosocomial infections are caused by various factors. Some of the common ones include improper hygiene. Patients can get infections of diseases such methicillin resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), respiratory illnesses and pneumonia from hospital staff and their visitors (Webster, 1998). Also doctors and nurses who do not practice basic hygienic measures such as washing hands before attending to patients may spread MRSA among them. Other infections are due to injections. There are cases where some hospital staffs do not give injections properly. Infections like HIV and hepatitis B can be as a result of contaminated blood due to sharing syringes and needles between patients when injecting medication into their intravenous lines. Nosocomial infections may also be as a result of torn or improperly bandaged incisions during surgeries. These incisions get contaminated with bacteria from the skin or the surrounding environment. Similarly, bacteria can be introduced into the patients bod y by contaminated surgical equipment. Also breathing machines such as ventilators can spread infections like pneumonia among patients using them. Staffs that do not use the proper infection control measures tend to contaminate these machines with germs. There are also cases where people on breathing machines are unable to cough and expel germs from their lungs. This can be another cause. In addition, urinary track infections can be due to faulty removal of urine from patients who are not able to use the toilet. In most cases catheters are the common cause for such cases. These catheters cause these infections when they become contaminated with bacteria by medical staff during insertion or are not properly maintained while in use (Webster, 1998). Another cause of nosocomial infections is the organ transplant. Illnesses such hepatitis B, hepatitis C, HIV and syphilis can be spread through bone and tissue grafts that may result from blood transfusions, skin and organ transplants. Howev er such cases have become less common today due to factors such as improved technology. Many protective measures have been put in place to cut on these risks. Prevention of nosocomial infections Several measures can be put in place to prevent the spread of nosocomial infections. The most important measure to reduce the risk of transmitting skin microorganisms from one patient to another is hand washing. Medical staff washing hands as thoroughly and promptly as possible after attending to one patient where they may have come into contact with body fluids, excretions and blood, or equipment with these fluids, is a very important measure of nosocomial infection control. Even though it appears as a simple process, it is mostly overlooked or done incorrectly (Hiramatsu, Aritaka, Hanaki, Kawasaki, Hosoda Hori, 1997). As a result practitioners and visitors should be continuously reminded on the advantages of proper washing of hands. This can be achieved through use of signals on responsible hand washing. In addition to hand washing, gloves are very important since they prevent gross contamination of the hands when touching blood, body fluids, secretions, excretions, and mucous mem branes. They offer a protective barrier, in cases of exposure to blood borne pathogens. Similarly there is emphasis on surface sanitation. In health care environments, this is a critical component of breaking the cycle of infections. In cases concerning influenza, gastro enteritis and MRSA modern methods such as NAV-CO2 have been effective. Alcohol has been shown to be ineffective in endospore-forming bacteria such as Clostridium difficile and thus hydrogen peroxide is appropriate in this case. In addition, use of hydrogen peroxide vapor reduces infection rates and risks of acquisition. Some causes of infections are agent and host factors that are hard to control. In such cases isolation precautions can be designed to prevent transmission in common routes in health centers. For example a patient suffering from an air borne disease can be put in a separate room so as to control the spread of the disease. Another prevention measure is putting on protective clothing. An apron reduces t he risk of infection as it covers most parts of the body. However with all this said, strategically implementing QA/QC measures in health care sectors and evidence-based management are the most effective technique of controlling nosocomial infections. For example, in cases of diseases such as ventilator-associated pneumonia and hospital-acquired pneumonia, the management of the health center should pay more emphasis on the control and monitoring of the quality of the hospitals indoor air (Hiramatsu, Aritaka, Hanaki, Kawasaki, Hosoda, Hori, 1997). A Review of the Literature Robert A Weinstein (Cook County Hospital Rush Medical College, Chicago, Illinois, USA) In his research paper Robert Weinstein begins by a comparison of the cases of nosocomial infections now and in the past. Even though he agrees that there has been a reduction in number of cases, he goes a head to state that the numbers of death are still high. According to him, a study carried out in the United States estimated that in 1995, nosocomial infections cost $4.5 billion and contributed to more than 88,000 deaths (one death in every six minutes). I concur with these findings. Poor hygiene standards in most health centers have contributed to these high figures. There have been cases of medical practitioners who overlook basic hygienic measures such as a proper hand washing when attending to patients. There are cases where some medical services like injections are not administered in a proper manner. This is due to unqualified medical expertise especially in small health care centers. I think the researchs large numbers of deaths from nosocomial infections is due to such fact ors. I also agree with Weinstein that there is an approximately one third reduction in rate of infections in hospitals with the four basic infection control components (one infection control practitioner for every 250 beds, an effective hospital epidemiologist, ongoing control efforts and an active surveillance mechanism). As a result I think these infections can be controlled to a higher percentage if all hospitals and health centers could employ these basic components. Robert A Weinstein also states that there has been an increase in viral infections. Most nosocomial infections in Semmelweiss era were due to group A streptococci. In 1990 to 1996, 34% of nosocomial infections were due to the three most common gram-positive pathogens-S. aureus, enterococci and coagulase-negative staphylococci while the four most common gram-negative pathogens-Escherichia coli, P. aeruginosa, Enterobacter spp., and Klebsiella pneumoniae, accounted for 32%. With this trend I agree with Weinstein report. There has also been an increase in the blood transmitted infections hence increase in the cases of herpes viruses HIV-infections. On the other hand Weinsteins reveals that there is a higher rate of infection among the intensive care unit (ICU) patients. This is evident in our hospitals today. I think the increasingly aggressive medical and therapeutic interventions, including modern medical advancements like organ transplantations, implanted foreign bodies and xenotransplantations, have created a cohort of particularly vulnerable persons (Fridkin, Welbel Weinstein, 1997). In most cases, patients affected by nosocomial infections are those immunocompromised by underlying diseases, age or medical/surgical treatments. More cases of bloodstream infections coagulase-negative staphylococci occur in the ICU because it is in these areas that patients with invasive vascular catheters and monitoring devices could come into contact with these bloodstream infections. Due to these factors, I concur with Weinsteins research findings that infection rates in adult and pediatric ICUs are approximately three times higher than e lsewhere in hospitals. In conclusion, Robert A Weinsteins research paper portrays a comprehensive research. It addresses changes in the medical fraternity that have affected nosocomial infections in one way or another. It also shows the significant impact of advancement in technology in medical and health care in relation to nosocomial infections. Jessica Lietz Jessica Lietz presents her research on nosocomial infections putting more emphasis on the causes and prevention measures of the infections. She introduces her research stating that there are higher rates of infections in public hospitals as compared to private health centers. I concur with her findings on the basis of the difference in management in the two setups. Private centers tend to be managed in a better manner than public centers. This is because private hospitals are business oriented and the management is always doing all it can to better the institution so as to cope with the high market competition. As a result of this emphasis on good management, medical staff tends to adhere to rules and regulations. Hence the hygiene standards of these institutions are always high. Similarly there is close supervision of staff, another factor that advantages private hospitals over public ones. For the public medical institutions, the case is not the same. In most centers hygiene is not to standard. This may be due to several reasons. There is no close supervision of staff and same take this advantage of lack of a questioning authority to bypass basic hygiene measures. Similarly, public setups are prone to the effects of political differences between the staffs. Cases of corruption tend to take root in such centers and as a result, unqualified medical personnel find themselves in these institutions. In her take on the causes of nosocomial infections, she states lack of adequate public education on the infections as a key factor in their spread. I think the point holds water since there are same cases of transmission of these infections due to ignorance. For instance one may visit a patient suffering from an air borne disease and contact the disease without knowing. Similarly patients may share personal items such as towels, not knowing that they are subjecting themselves to harmful infections. I think enlightening the public in general on the dangers of these infections and the basic control measures like maintaining a high personal hygiene can go a greater mile in trying to control these infections. It is therefore important to create a society that empresses these basic measures. This can be achieved through airing nosocomial infection related articles in the media, organized open air lessons in villages and also be taught in learning institutions. Jessica Lietz on the other hand, argues out that just as hand washing is important as a measure of control; more emphasis should also be put on wearing of gloves. She states that gloves can also be used in the same context as hand washing as long as one glove is used on only one patient. I seem to disagree with this since there are challenges that come with it. Even though gloves offer a protective barrier, there are cases where these gloves tear. Moreover in instances where the gloves are not properly worn both the expertise and the patient may be a risk of infections. I strongly believe that a high standard of hygiene is the most appropriate way of fighting infections. As such, a basic, prompt and thorough hand wash is always the better option due its advantages. However, this does not rule out the use of gloves as they are equally important. In conclusion, this research article gives a general view of nosocomial infections. It does not reflect a deep research into the subject. Jessica gives more emphasis on general arguments. There are some issues concerning these infections that have not been covered or have been covered shallowly. Jessica does not explain in length how nosocomial infections have been affected by technology. Advancement in technology has revolutionalized the medical fraternity and has come with its own advantages and disadvantage. Therefore one can not make a general decision from this article as it is shallow and needs further research. National Center for Infectious Diseases This is an article on the research carried out on the nosocomial infections by the National Center for Infectious Diseases in the United States. It points out young children, the elderly and persons with compromised immune systems as people who are more prone to these infections. Long hospital stays, failure of healthcare workers to wash hands, use of indwelling catheters and overuse of antibiotics have also been highlighted to cause some cases of the infection (Fridkin, Welbel, Weinstein, 1997). Moreover the research acknowledges the effects of the diversification of technology on the spread and control of the infections highlighting organ transplant, catheters, xenotransplantations among others, as examples. Invasive procedures expose patient to the possibility of infection. The research highlights the percentages below. Causes of Urinary Tract Infections in Hospital Patients: Escherichia coli: 40% Proteus mirabilis: 11% Other Gram-negative bacteria: 25% Coagulase-negative staphylococci: 3% Other Gram-positive bacteria: 16% Candida albicans: 5% Causes of Urinary Tract Infections that are Community-acquired: Escherichia coli: 80% Coagulase-negative staphylococci: 7% Proteus mirabilis: 6% Other Gram-negative bacteria: 4% Other Gram-positive bacteria: 3% This is a comprehensive research that has covered nosocomial infections at length. It discusses key components of the infections giving considerations to both past and today world. Moreover, it compares the rate of the infections both in the urban and rural setting. Hence it is an article that tries to solve nosocomial infection dilemma. Toni Rizzo Toni Rizzo presents his research on the common types of infections in our hospital. He highlights respiratory procedures, intravenous (IV) procedures, surgery and wound and urinary bladder catheterization as the common types of infections. He states that most hospital-acquired UTIs happen after urinary catheterization. A healthy urinary bladder does not have bacteria or microorganisms (it is sterile). A catheter picks up bacteria that may be in or around the urethra and take them up into the bladder hence infecting it. This is a standard research as it touches on almost key issues in the subject matter. I agree with the findings. Fungus infections from Candida are prone to affect patients who are taking antibiotics or that have a poorly functioning immune system. Hence bacteria from the intestinal track are the most types of UTIs. Similarly respiratory procedures done in our hospitals today are the common causes of bacteria getting into the throat. Pneumonia thus becomes another common type of hospital-acquired infections. Once the throat is colonized, it is easy for a patient to inhale the microorganisms into the lungs. Moreover, patients who are unable to cough or gag very well are most likely to inhale colonized bacteria and microorganisms into their lungs. In general Toni Rizzo tries to address affects in medicine today. Infections due to modern advancements like organ transplant among others have been effectively discussed. Thus this is a comprehensive research. Emmanuelle Girou and Francois Stephan (Case-control Study of ICU Patients) This is an article on a study done in the ICU patients. Generally ICU patients are at a high risk of acquiring nosocomial infections and in same cases some die from these infections. There is a need for therapy whether infections in the ICU occur or not. The objectives of the study was to define the interrelationships between underlying disease, severity of illness, therapeutic activity and nosocomial infections in ICU patients, and their influence on these patients out come. The study was conducted in a 10-bed medical ICU. Initial severity of illness was matched, with daily monitoring of severity of illness and therapeutic activity scores, and with analysis of the contribution of nosocomial infections to patients outcomes. The study ran for one year and data carefully taken. Result Global incidence rate of 14.6 infections per 100 admissions was estimated as forty one out of the 281 studied patients developed at least one nosocomial infection. During their ICU stay, the 41 case-patients developed 98 nosocomial infections (2.4 episodes per patient): 15 pneumonias, 35 bacteremias, 33 urinary-tract infections, 12 central-venous-catheter-related infections, two sinusitides, and one surgical wound infection. Of the 35 episodes of bacteremia, only four were primary; the other 31 complicated the following nosocomial infections: 14 urinary tract infections, eight catheter-related infections, eight instances of pneumonia, and one surgical-site infected. The characteristics of patients in both groups were compared through use of the Mann-Whitney nonparametric test for continuous variables and the chi-square test for categorical variables. Wilcoxons test was used to compare two continuous variables within one group. To identify risk factors independently associated with no socomial infection, variables found to be significantly different between cases and controls in the univariate analysis were entered into a forward stepwise logistic-regression model (Statistica 4.5; Statsoft, Inc., Tulsa, OK). When patients developed multiple nosocomial infections during their hospitalization, only the first episode was used in the risk factor analysis. A value of p This is a very detailed and comprehensive case study. It clearly explains why the rate of infection is high in the ICU. This high rate is attributed to various factors. The immune system of most patients in the ICU is always low. Similarly these patients are subjected to taking more antibiotics. Long hospital stays is also another factor. Also it is in the ICU that most medical procedures like organ transplant, catheter, xenotransplantations among others, take place. The research also accounts for the effects of technology and other factors that affect these infections. It accounts for the findings given reasons based on concrete facts. As result, its a dependable research that can be used to study nosocomial infections especially in the ICU. In conclusion, all the articles above points out improved hygiene especially hand washing and immunization have resulted to the overall advances in control of infectious diseases. Negligence of hygiene is also portrayed as a major challenge to the efforts of control of nosocomial infections. I think for us to significantly control the infections, we must join forces and work together with medical personnel on implementation of existing infection control technologies. We should empress positive changes towards the control of nosocomial infection and observe high standards of hygiene so that we do not rely solely on technologic advances.

Modeling Ocean Acoustic Tomography Essay -- Science Ocean Tomography

Modeling Ocean Acoustic Tomography Ocean acoustic tomography is a recent scientific breakthrough in the last thirty years. This usage of this tomography is key because of the major affect the oceans play on the Earth’s biosphere. Water takes up about 75% of the world and plays a role in land temperature variance and seasonal climate changes. In 1965, scientists pictured the ocean’s general circulation being large slow-moving currents like the Gulf Stream. These conclusions were based on periodic observations. No one had a grasp on the water’s vast expansion and high reaching depths. In the 1950’s and 1960’s, new instruments were brought to the table. Subsurface floats moved with the ocean currents. Data was gathered while a signal was emitted so ships could track it. Ocean current meters weren’t mobile, but rather fixed to one location. They would remain anchored for several months gathering the changes within the water around them. These tools discovered variability within the water’s movements. The theories on slow, basin-scale currents were hidden by the domination of mesoscale fields. These fields are high energy flows that reach ten times the average velocity of major currents. These up-tempo movements relate to the out of water weather patterns. A mesoscale can be 100 square km in size and persist for 100 days while atmospheric weather will be 1000 km, but only resonant for 3-5 days. 99% of the ocean’s kinetic energy can be summed into these mesoscale rather than the slow basin-scales. Monitoring the newly discovered mesoscales became a problem. A grid would have to be set up with monitoring equipment at 50 km intervals. Sensors would be lowered to average ocean depths (approximately 5... ...phy system along with the old ship method. The tomography setup accomplished the task in 24 hours. It took the ship, though, three weeks because each interval stop took 4-5 hours. The map was also blurred because of the long â€Å"exposing† time. Quickness has become a major role characteristic, along with coverage. 1000 km of a current was measured for temperature averages. The methods are near the point of being able to measure temperatures around the world simultaneously for references on global warming. 75% of the world is water. Finally, we are being able to study it and apply it to weather patterns within the air. Works Cited Munk, Worcester, and Wunsch. Ocean Acoustic Tomography. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1995. Spindel, Robert C., and Peter F. Worcester. â€Å"Ocean Acoustic Tomography.† Scientific American Oct. 1990, vol. 263: 94-99.

Investment Management Exam Paper

Sample (Easy/Medium level of difficulty) Midterm Exam, FINE441- Fall 2012 – Answer KEYs are attached in the end! THIS IS THE EXAMPLE OF MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS. THE NUMERICAL PROBLEMS WILL BE SIMILAR (NOT IDENTICAL) TO THE END OF CHAPTER PROBLEMS POSTED ON My Courses and Assignments 1. You purchased a share of stock for $20. One year later you received $1 as dividend and sold the share for $29. What was your holding period return? A) 45% B) 50% C) 5% D) 40% E) none of the above Use the following to answer questions 2-3: You have been given this probability distribution for the holding period return for XYZ stock:State of the Economy Boom Normal growth Recession 2. Probability . 30 . 50 . 20 HPR 18% 12% – 5% What is the expected holding period return for XYZ stock? 3. What is the expected standard deviation for XYZ stock? 4. A T-bill pays 6 percent rate of return. Would risk-averse investors invest in a risky portfolio that pays 12 percent with a probability of 40 perc ent or 2 percent with a probability of 60 percent? A) Yes, because they are rewarded with a risk premium. B) No, because they are not rewarded with a risk premium. C) No, because the risk premium is small. D) Cannot be determined.E) None of the above 5. In the mean-standard deviation graph, which one of the following statements is true regarding the indifference curve of a risk-averse investor? A) It is the locus of portfolios that have the same expected rates of return and different standard deviations. B) It is the locus of portfolios that have the same standard deviations and different rates of return. C) It is the locus of portfolios that offer the same utility according to returns and standard deviations. D) It connects portfolios that offer increasing utilities according to returns and standard deviations.E) none of the above. 6. Assume an investor with the following utility function: U = E(r) – 3/2(s2). To maximize her expected utility, she would choose the asset with an expected rate of return of _______ and a standard deviation of ________, respectively. A) 12%; 20% B) 10%; 15% C) 10%; 10% D) 8%; 10% E) none of the above Consider a risky portfolio, A, with an expected rate of return of 0. 15 and a standard deviation of 0. 15, that lies on a given indifference curve. Which one of the following portfolios might lie on the same indifference curve? A) E(r) = 0. 15; Standard deviation = 0. 20 B) E(r) = 0. 5; Standard deviation = 0. 10 C) E(r) = 0. 10; Standard deviation = 0. 10 D) E(r) = 0. 20; Standard deviation = 0. 15 E) E(r) = 0. 10; Standard deviation = 0. 20 An investor can choose to invest in T-bills paying 5% or a risky portfolio with end-of-year cash flow of $132,000. If the investor requires a risk premium of 5%, what would she be willing to pay for the risky portfolio? A) $100,000 B) $108,000 C) $120,000 D) $145,000 E) $147,000 7. 8. 9. You invest $100 in a risky asset with an expected rate of return of 0. 12 and a standard deviation of 0 . 15 and a T-bill with a rate of return of 0. 05.What percentages of your money must be invested in the risky asset and the risk-free asset, respectively, to form a portfolio with an expected return of 0. 09? A) 85% and 15% B) 75% and 25% C) 67% and 33% D) 57% and 43% E) cannot be determined 10. Beta is the measure of A) firm specific risk. B) diversifiable risk. C) market risk. D) unique risk. E) none of the above. 11. The efficient frontier of risky assets is A) the portion of the investment opportunity set that lies above the global minimum variance portfolio. B) the portion of the investment opportunity set that represents the highest standard deviations.C) the portion of the investment opportunity set which includes the portfolios with the lowest standard deviation. D) the set of portfolios that have zero standard deviation. E) both A and B are true. 12. Consider two perfectly negatively correlated risky securities A and B. A has an expected rate of return of 10% and a standard deviation of 16%. B has an expected rate of return of 8% and a standard deviation of 12%. 12. 1. The weights of A and B in the global minimum variance portfolio are _____ and _____, respectively. A) 0. 24; 0. 76 B) 0. 50; 0. 50 C) 0. 57; 0. 43 D) 0. 43; 0. 57 E) 0. 76; 0. 24 12. 2.The risk-free portfolio that can be formed with the two securities will earn _____ rate of return. A) 8. 5% B) 9. 0% C) 8. 9% D) 9. 9% E) none of the above 13. Portfolio theory as described by Markowitz is most concerned with: A) the elimination of systematic risk. B) the effect of diversification on portfolio risk. C) the identification of unsystematic risk. D) active portfolio management to enhance returns. E) none of the above. 14. According to the Capital Asset Pricing Model (CAPM) a well diversified portfolio's rate of return is a function of A) market risk B) unsystematic risk C) unique risk. D) reinvestment risk.E) none of the above. 15. The risk-free rate and the expected market rate of return are 0. 06 and 0. 12, respectively. According to the capital asset pricing model (CAPM), the expected rate of return on security X with a beta of 1. 2 is equal to A) 0. 06. B) 0. 144. C) 0. 12. D) 0. 132 E) 0. 18 16. Which statement is not true regarding the market portfolio? A) It includes all publicly traded financial assets. B) It lies on the efficient frontier. C) All securities in the market portfolio are held in proportion to their market values. D) It is the tangency point between the capital market line and the indifference curve.E) All of the above are true. 17. Your personal opinion is that security X has an expected rate of return of 0. 11. It has a beta of 1. 5. The risk-free rate is 0. 05 and the market expected rate of return is 0. 09. According to the Capital Asset Pricing Model, this security is A) underpriced. B) overpriced. C) fairly priced. D) cannot be determined from data provided. E) none of the above. 18. According to the index model, covariances among security pa irs are A) due to the influence of a single common factor represented by the market index return. B) extremely difficult to calculate. C) related to industry-specific events.D) usually positive. E) A and D 19. In the single-index model represented by the equation ri = E(ri) + ? iF + ei, the term ei represents A) the impact of unanticipated macroeconomic events on security i's return. B) the impact of unanticipated firm-specific events on security i's return. C) the impact of anticipated macroeconomic events on security i's return. D) the impact of anticipated firm-specific events on security i's return. E) the impact of changes in the market on security i's return. 20. Suppose two portfolios have the same average return, the same standard deviation of returns, but portfolio A has a higher beta than portfolio B.According to the Sharpe measure, the performance of portfolio A __________. A) is better than the performance of portfolio B B) is the same as the performance of portfolio B C ) is poorer than the performance of portfolio B D) cannot be measured as there is no data on the alpha of the portfolio E) none of the above is true. 21. An arbitrage opportunity exists if an investor can construct a __________ investment portfolio that will yield a sure profit. A) positive B) negative C) zero D) all of the above E) none of the above 22. Consider the one-factor APT. The variance of returns on the factor portfolio is 6%.The beta of a well-diversified portfolio on the factor is 1. 1. The variance of returns on the well-diversified portfolio is approximately __________. A) 3. 6% B) 6. 0% C) 7. 3% D) 10. 1% E) none of the above 23. Consider the single factor APT. Portfolio A has a beta of 0. 2 and an expected return of 13%. Portfolio B has a beta of 0. 4 and an expected return of 15%. The riskfree rate of return is 10%. If you wanted to take advantage of an arbitrage opportunity, you should take a short position in portfolio _________ and a long position in portfolio __ _______. A) A, A B) A, B C) B, A D) B, B E) none of the above 4. You sold short 300 shares of common stock at $55 per share. The initial margin is 60%. At what stock price would you receive a margin call if the maintenance margin is 35%? A. $51. 00 B. $65. 18 C. $35. 22 D. $40. 36 E. none of the above 25. You purchased 1000 shares of CSCO common stock on margin at $19 per share. Assume the initial margin is 50% and the maintenance margin is 30%. Below what stock price level would you get a margin call? Assume the stock pays no dividend; ignore interest on margin A. $12. 86 B. $15. 75 C. $19. 67 D. $13. 57 U = E(r) – (A/2)s2, where A = 4. . 26. Based on the utility function above, which investment would you select? A. 1 B. 2 C. 3 D. 4 E. cannot tell from the information given 27. Analysts may use regression analysis to estimate the index model for a stock. When doing so, the slope of the regression line is an estimate of ______________. A. the ? of the asset B. the ? of the as set C. the ? of the asset D. the ? of the asset E. the ? of the asset 28. Analysts may use regression analysis to estimate the index model for a stock. When doing so, the intercept of the regression line is an estimate of ______________.A. the ? of the asset B. the ? of the asset C. the ? of the asset D. the ? of the asset E. the ? of the asset 29. The index model for stock A has been estimated with the following result: RA= 0. 01 + 0. 9RM+ eA If ? M= 0. 25 and R2A= 0. 25, the standard deviation of return of stock A is _________. A. 0. 2025 B. 0. 2500 C. 0. 4500 D. 0. 8100 E. 0. 5460 Answer keys for the Sample Midterm, Fall 2012, FINE441. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 1 12. 2 13. B 14. A 15. D 16. D 17. C 18. E 19. B 20. B 21. C 22. C 23. C 24. B 25. D 26. C 27. B 28. A 29. C B C E B C C C C D C A D C

Roots of Forgiveness essays

Roots of Forgiveness essays The fact that human beings have become and remain the dominant life forms on this planet rests not solely on the fact that we possess a larger, more complex brain, but on those higher cognitive functions which that brain provides. One of the most distinguishing of these is forgiveness, an act that is virtually non-existent among other animals. The act of forgiveness can be explained using many psychological theories ranging from psychoevolutionary, to cognitive, to social-learning. However, before any explanation can be given, it is necessary to describe those events prior to forgiveness. If youre in the position to forgive or not forgive a person, that person has undoubtedly caused you distress in some specific manner. Distress is described as a negative response to stress, while stress is regarded as a set of neurophysiological reactions that exist to serve an adaptive purpose. The work of Hans Selye provided the base for many of todays theories regarding stress. Selye described a three-stage General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS) to illustrate the bodys response to stressors. In the initial stage of alarm, the body recognizes the stressor and gathers resources to assist in a fight or flight situation. In this stage, the first neurophysiological reaction experienced is the Sympathetic Adrenal Response. During this response the adrenal medulla secretes epinephrine (also known as adrenaline) increasing heart rate, oxygen consumption and glycogen mobilization, while the spleen secretes red blood cells (further oxygenating the blood, the thyroid secretes hormones to assis t in metabolism. Noticeable physiological responses also occur in this first stage to further prepare the body for flight or flight. Platelets increase in the bloodstream to promote coagulation of blood should injury occur, perspiration cools the body, and the muscles tighten to protect vital organs and defend the body or flee the scene if necessary. T...

The Ludlow Amendment and American Isolationism

The Ludlow Amendment and American Isolationism Once upon a time, Congress nearly gave away its right to debate and declare war. It never actually happened, but it came close in the days of American isolationism something called the Ludlow Amendment. Shunning the World Stage With the exception of a brief flirtation with empire in 1898, the United States attempted to avoid involvement in foreign affairs (European, at least; the U.S. never had many problems shouldering into Latin American affairs), but close ties to Great Britain and Germanys use of submarine warfare dragged it into World War I in 1917. Having lost 116,000 soldiers killed and another 204,000 wounded in just over a year of the war, Americans were not eager to get involved in another European conflict. The country adopted its isolationist stance. Insistent Isolationism Americans adhered to isolationism throughout the 1920s and 1930s, regardless of events in Europe and Japan. From the rise of Fascism with Mussolini in Italy to the perfection of Fascism with Hitler in Germany and the hijacking of the civil government by militarists in Japan, Americans tended their own issues. Republican presidents in the 1920s, Warren G. Harding, Calvin Coolidge, and Herbert Hoover, also gave scant attention to foreign affairs. When Japan invaded Manchuria in 1931, Hoovers Secretary of State Henry Stimson merely gave Japan a diplomatic slap on the wrist. The crisis of the Great Depression swept Republicans from office in 1932, and new President Franklin D. Roosevelt was an internationalist, not an isolationist. FDRs New Attitude Roosevelt firmly believed that the United States should respond to events in Europe. When Italy invaded Ethiopia in 1935, he encouraged American oil companies to enact a moral embargo and stop selling oil to Italys armies. The oil companies refused. FDR, however, won out when it came to the Ludlow Amendment. Peak of Isolationism Representative Louis Ludlow (D-Indiana) introduced his amendment several times to the House of Representatives beginning in 1935. His 1938 introduction was the one most likely to pass. By 1938, Hitlers reinvigorated German army had retaken the Rhineland, was practicing blitzkrieg on behalf of Fascists in the Spanish Civil War and was preparing to annex Austria. In the East, Japan had started a full-out war with China. In the United States, Americans were scared history was about to repeat. Ludlows Amendment (a proposed amendment to the Constitution) read: Except in the event of an invasion of the United States or its Territorial possessions and attack upon its citizens residing therein, the authority of Congress to declare war shall not become effective until confirmed by a majority of all votes cast thereon in a Nation-wide referendum. Congress, when it deems a national crisis to exist, may by concurrent resolution refer the question of war or peace to the citizens of the States, the question to be voted on being, Shall the United States declare war on _________? Congress may otherwise by law provide for the enforcement of this section. Twenty years earlier, even entertaining this resolution would have been laughable. In 1938, though, the House not only entertained it but voted on it. It failed, 209-188. FDRs Pressure FDR hated the resolution, saying it would unduly limit the powers of the presidency. He wrote to Speaker of the House William Brockman Bankhead that: I must frankly state that I consider that the proposed amendment would be impracticable in its application and incompatible with our representative form of government. Our Government is conducted by the people through representatives of their own choosing, FDR continued. It was with singular unanimity that the founders of the Republic agreed upon such free and representative form of government as the only practical means of government by the people. Such an amendment to the Constitution as that proposed would cripple any President in his conduct of our foreign relations, and it would encourage other nations to believe that they could violate American rights with impunity. I fully realize that the sponsors of this proposal sincerely believe that it would be helpful in keeping the United States out of war. I am convinced it would have the opposite effect, the president concluded. Incredible (Near) Precedent Today the House vote that killed the Ludlow Amendment doesnt look all that close. And, had it passed the House, its unlikely the Senate would have passed it on to the public for approval. Nevertheless, its amazing that such a proposal got so much traction in the House. Incredible as it may seem, the House of Representatives (that house of Congress most answerable to the public) was so scared of its role in U.S. foreign policy that it seriously considered giving up one of its bedrock Constitutional duties; the declaration of war. Sources Ludlow Amendment, full text. Accessed September 19, 2013.Peace And War: United States Foreign Policy, 1931-1941. (U.S. Government Printing Office: Washington, 1943; repr. U.S. Department of State, 1983.) Accessed September 19, 2013.

Collaborative Consumption Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Collaborative Consumption - Essay Example The concept of collaborative consumption has been aided by advancing technology and peer communities that reinvents old behaviours of the market on new scale and ways that have not been witnessed before. Examples of aspects that enhance collaborative consumption include: car sharing marketplaces such as Zipcar, huge marketplaces such as Craiglist and eBay, and peer-to-peer communities such as GuideHop (Walljasper, 2010, p. 28). Several studies have shown that collaborative consumption is greatly disrupting the traditional business models, while at the same time reinventing old market behaviours thereby influencing how people consume and what they consume. Since collaborative consumption is disrupting the traditional business models and reinventing old market behaviours, it is conceivable that this new era will require a dramatic re-evaluation of everything that we know regarding improvement of the relationship between the customers and the suppliers. It is no doubt that the extent of re-evaluation would be bigger than even imagined. This is some sort of paradigm shift from â€Å"common consumption† that has been characterized by a number of problems, miscommunication being its biggest problem (Baron and Harris, 2008, p. 113). Collaborative consumption is informed by the theory of collaboration which basically states that collaboration is enhanced among people when the collaborators are expecting beneficial outcome from the collaboration. Price et al (2006, p. 51) argues that this theory holds that collaboration is vital towards eliminating inherent selfish nature of human beings by making them see benefits out of combined actio ns and efforts. Further, collaborative consumption is informed by the collaboration theory assumption that it has a causal outcome; that is, if causal outcome is higher then the collaborators would have higher commitment and participation levels. Even though â€Å"common consumption† is still prominent in the marketplaces, it is emerging that everything is becoming collaborative. The world has in recent times has experienced immense renting and swapping of clothes, homes, and cars through technologies and peer communities such as Airnb, Zipcar, and RentCycle (Walljasper, 2010, p. 57). Collaborative consumption is a theory in itself that holds that people can buy something without necessarily owning it. The view of not owning something after buying it notwithstanding, a person buying it should take responsibility for them, be it clothes, electric, or car. The era of collaborative consumption requires dramatic re-evaluation in respect to both customer-supplier relationship and how we look at the community. This dramatic re-evaluation has to entail the understanding of the resurgence of community, the values in the community, and how members of the community connect to one another. The same re-evaluation should be applied to the customer- supplier relationship. As has been noted, consumers and suppliers in this model calls for more responsibilities; as such, it is critical to re-evaluate the accountability and the responsibility aspects in the model (Holt, 2005, p. 6). Collaborative consumption has been touted as one of the greatest revolutions of our time and may be as significant as the industrial revolution. It has been argued

Marketing plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Marketing plan - Essay Example This is because Carl’s Jr. was selling the same type of hamburgers but at half the price. Others offer that the accompaniments that were served with the hamburger, mustard/mayo sauce on potato roll to be specific resulted to the failure. The mega campaign which failed was also partially blamed for the product failure as it targeted the adult population only. Still, some customers offer that the high calorie in the burger was the reason behind the product failure to capture the market. Background McDonalds is undoubtedly one of the fastest growing companies in the fast food industry, which is dominated by a host of players. Some of these players include Carl’s Jr, Burger King, KFC, and Pizza hut. These competitors pose a threat to McDonalds as they have conduced to the decrease in profits. This is because of the alternative products that these competitors continue to offer to the customers. McDonalds is a franchise of many companies with only 19% owed by the company. The company has over 33000 restaurants spread across the globe, serving close to 58 million customers. The company also has dozens of branches situated in 119 countries. McDonalds collected an average of $22,744,700 million in revenues from its global branches in 2009 with operating profits standing at $ 6,841000 million. Market Analysis Analysts predict that the fast food industry is growing at a first rate as customers’ demands for fresh quickly served meals surges. One of the dominant key players in this market is the McDonalds. The company is currently at its maturity level in the product life cycle. However, the fast food market faces constant decrement because of factors such as limited expansion sites, increasing operation costs, and market saturation. Vivid competition in the market has led to production promotion techniques such as price cuts, which have resulted to a diminution in profitability in the industry. Normal Forecast Most of the products that fail to capture the attention of customers in the market are not always inferior. In order for a company to succeed in launching a product, management has to undertake an in-depth research on the market. Through such an initiative, the organization can come up with creative ideas on the areas of packaging, market communication, and pricing. All these activities are facilitated through brainstorming with all the departments in the organization. Failure to consult will result to the release of uncompetitive products in terms of price, packaging, and market communication, into the market. The same applied to McDonald’s Arch Deluxe, which despite massive campaign, failed to sustain the market forces. As mentioned above, some of the reasons were high market price, mega campaign fail and poor market presentation. The other reason behind product failure is intensive competition. When many producers offer the same product to the market, the resultant effect will be edacious competition, where only t he superior products in price, packaging and advertising, end-up being selected by the customer. A good example is Carl’s Jr., which blocked the entry of McDonald’s Arch Deluxe. According to Brand marketing (2006, p. 3), Jack Greenberg McDonalds’ CEO, on an interview with the Financial Times consented that the company spent too much time deciding on when to launch the product. Most of the company’s marketing and branding decisions are made at the headquarters in Oak Brook, Illinois. As such, the