Globalization, Gentrification and Migration Impact to New York Coursework

Globalization, Gentrification and Migration Impact to New York - Coursework Example There has been an argument as to whether the processes of gentrification, globalization, and migration lead to involuntary displacement of the low-income residents in a city. For instance, in New York City, the low-income residents are not likely to move out of a gentrifying suburb than they are to move out of a non-gentrifying suburb. On the other hand, the process of globalization in New York is explained in terms of the strategic sites where various global processes materialized and the various linkages that join them. Among the above-mentioned sites are the off-shore banking facilities, export processing areas and the global cities (Hamnet 1994, p.422). According to Sassen, the rapid growth of the global economy in New York City has led to the modern geography of marginality and centrality. The above mentioned modern form of geography causes inequalities, nevertheless, it leads to the formation of dynamic economic growth, where the city operates from the development of the employment structures to the distribution of telecommunication. New York as a global city possesses a lot of economic powers and various financial services, which offer super-profits. The level of transactions in New York specifically through the trade in services, financial markets and investments have rapidly increased, therefore, the orders of magnitude involved have also increased.

Lee Miller Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Lee Miller - Essay Example Though it started and ended in tragedy, it was filled with excitement and several trail-blazing firsts. "Lee Miller - The Movie" would star: Miller's interesting supportive parents, two husbands, famous WWII figures, her son who was disappointed by his alcoholic mother, celebrities, and famous artists (including Picasso) and photographers. Major scenes would include the tragic childhood sexual abuse that left her with gonorrhea, the fairytale discovery of her by photographer Conde Nast, her New York modeling career, her two marriages, her experiences photographing World War II, and the disastrous effects the war had on her that ultimately lead to her own tragic demise. The final scenes would chronicle the world's amazing "rediscovery" of Miller through her son's book and her daughter-in-law's rummaging in Miller's attic, after Miller's death in the 1970s. Lee Miller was born "Elizabeth Lee Miller" in Ploughkeepsie, New York on the 23rd of April 1907 to parents Theodor and Florence Miller. She was the middle child, with an older brother John and a younger brother Erik. Theodore Miller, her Father was an engineer and a businessman. Like many of his time Theodor was a strong believer in science and technology - going as far as to run his household scientifically.2 He had several affairs and not much is known of his relationship with his wife Florence.3 On a visit to family friends at the ages of seven Florence left Elizabeth in the care of "Uncle Bob". This short visit changed her life as, though the exact details are unclear, "Uncle Bob" raped her.4 She was rushed home, and shortly after to a doctors when it became apparent that she had contracted gonorrhea from "Uncle Bob".5 The available treatments for the disease at the time - before the discovery of antibiotics - were painful, frequent, and took many weeks.6 Elizabeth was traumatized by the rape and the subsequent treatments. To help her emotional recovery, her parents took her to a psychiatrist. This doctor taught Elizabeth that love and sex were separate things - a fact that probably contributed to her many amorous liaisons later in life.7 Theodore, an amateur photographer, quite likely thinking that he was following the doctor's directions in helping his daughter separate her physical being from her emotional one began taking nude photographs of his daughter on her eighth birthday. She soon became proud of her appearance and was a good model. The photography sessions continued until she was twenty. The family was accepting of Theodore's new hobby, treating it as art.8 The camera loved Lee Miller and so did a lot of men. She was a beautiful woman and the true definition of American beauty with her golden locks and blue eyes. She was an independent woman; a true feminist who would break all rules if they were not to her liking.9 Though outwardly she led an independent life, there was a dark side to her that she hid from the world.10 She was undoubtedly one of the most intriguing and mercurial women of the twentieth century. Beauty is central to her story: it was her passport to the glamorous and artistic worlds she plunged into between the world wars. New York Modeling Career While in Manhattan, when she was 19, her life was saved by a magazine publisher, Conde Nast, who was so impressed by her beauty that he helped launch her modeling career. She thus became

Montecarlo Simulation Essay Example for Free

Montecarlo Simulation Essay Economy is the necessity of the consumers as well as to gain the utmost credit for it. In that way our superlative innovation of â€Å"VIVO† light has its own personal history which has originated the greatest solution for the community these times. By this time, all should have been aware of the outrageous news about the ‘rising of electric bill’. One could hardly expect anyone to accept the situation. Especially people who live in areas where there’s neither electricity nor power supply. There are people who often go for adventurous trips where they are greatly in need of light. Lighting with less capacity is always not an effective way to hold the light. There lies the problem but not without a solution which is a simple one. In this situation our team had a technical advanced resource that came up with the solution. It is none other than the â€Å"VIVO†- LED rechargeable light itself. It has the power of luminescence which will continuously last long hours. As we have just incorporated the company, the business is in the infant stage. Further we hope to identify it as legal soon 2. 2 Vision Statement â€Å"We develop the solutions beyond your expectations based on cutting edge technologies interlinked with economy and ecology. † 2. 3 Mission Statement â€Å"To be the leading integrated system and lights supplier to the global to the micro electronics industry and to offer complete energy saving solutions to customers for their lighting needs and prov iding total customer satisfaction with our highly innovative and cost-effective products. † 2. 4 Business Model We focus to produce one of the essential products to the customer with a standard product design and size. We have a bunch of knowledgeable and talented team to produce our initial set of production. At the mean time we target to market our products through direct marketing tool. Because we believe Door Step marketing would facilitate us to approach each and every customer individually. We mainly concentrate our product with high quality and the relationship with our customers by providing better service. Also we hope this will create a primary value for our firm. In future we hope to spread our product to Sri Lanka, island wide. 03. PRODUCT PLAN 3. 1 Features The product will be designed based on the emerging technology of Light Emitting Diode (LED). Currently the Sri Lankan market for this type of product is dominated by imported Lamps from China, which mostly contains a florescent tube lamp inside. As per the market research the problem with these type of lamps are; these will provide light usable for maximum of one hour, even if the rechargeable battery inside is charged fully for more than three hours. The main contributor for this inefficient performance is the florescent tube lamp used. This lamp will consume more power than LED lamps. And the brightness will also be lower than a five watts Light Emitting Diode (LED). The target customers of the company’s product are unable to use these imported lamps for the purpose of studying, working and adventurous travelling. So their needs will be satisfied with this product since the proposed product will be designed by using large number of LEDs and a rechargeable battery which is compatible and portable. It is efficient to the extent that, it will provide more hours lighting with the charging time of only few hours and more charging time will increase the usage time. . 2 Key Attributes Company is planning to incorporate two functions in the product using the LED units. That is the unit will have an Active mode and a Bright mode for convenience of the user. Bright mode: This mode is the differentiating feature of the company’s product from other lamps. This is where the unit will be supplied with more power, to the extent that the LEDs will function with its full capacity. So the lamp can be used for studying, cooking or travelling in night purposes. Active mode: This is where the Light emitting diode will be supplied with low power using a small circuit with a help of a switch. This will result in the lamps, emitting light at a lower capacity than its full capacity. This mode can be used to place the lamp in a hall area where you don’t need too much bright. This will significantly reduce the power consumption and increase the operating hours of the unit while the durability of the LED will improve and the battery life will also increase. 3. 3 Enhancements The firm is planning to enhance its product to the extent that, it will charge itself using solar panel technology. Currently the firm is unable to incorporate this technology, because it is not having sufficient financial aid. But once it is established in the market place it will be possible to get additional bank loan or any other sources of financing. Then the firm will be able to produce more number of units with additional features. After the incorporation of this new technology the product may be subject to a price revision and this may increase the piece. The product is made up with light emitting diodes, this means that there is low probability that this unit will fail due to the failure of this LEDs. But the riskier part is the rechargeable battery, where the average life of a battery is around two years, so that in order to be more cautious, company is expecting to give a one year warranty for its customers. 3. 4 Product Strategy The opportunity identification suggests that, the people who suffer with the increased electricity tariffs and who are trying to reduce their electricity expenses are expecting some other forms of lighting. On the other hand there are certain areas of the country that do not supplied with the power by the electricity board, in order to carry out the native’s chores. So this Market Gap analysis helped the emergence of the efficient rechargeable LED lamps. Initially the target segment of the firm is the consumers who live in the North and in the up country of Sri Lanka as the company has small distribution channels to market the products in these areas. After wards within the next three years it will expand the target market and company will sell the product to at least 50% of the consumers in Sri Lanka covering Eastern, Western, Sabaragamuva, Central and Uva Provinces. Currently the product strategy is to produce the rechargeable LED Lamps which could be used for lighting purpose at houses, working places and for travelling purposes. But in future after establishing the product in the market place it will use a product mix which will include more technological products such as solar power lights and etc. The product is differentiated to attract customers, through its unique feature of brightness which could be used to light and cover a vast area (more than 500 square feet) and the efficiency where the power saved for half an hour can be used for more than five hours. The current products in the market are less efficient and it cannot be used for the purpose of lighting a vast area, as most of the products related to this technology are small portable torch lights. The major risk of introducing a technological product is the emergence of new technologies. So company should be aware of the emerging new technologies and based on the consumer requirement, a continuous Line extension, Market Development, Product Development and Diversification strategies will be required to succeed in the business. According to this, it has planned to introduce a self charging unit in the forth coming periods. The introduction time of this new product will not be defined at present, in order to avoid product proliferation. 3. 5 Benefits of the Product The objective behind the firm’s strategy is to make business that satisfies the customers who do not have proper and adequate electricity facilities in their region. So the target customers are the people who are in the remote areas, mainly in hill countries and north and eastern province. Based on the preliminary study conducted, on target customers, it was identified that the main concern is lack of electricity facility and the amount of money that they can afford to obtain electricity facility through other means. The following benefits of the company’s product will full fill the above requirements and it is believed that, this is a competitive advantage of the firm compared to the other players in the industry. ? Compatibility and convenience: The product is designed with the intention that the users should be able to carry it easily where ever they go. So the weight of the unit will be less and the size is also reduced up to the maximum. ? Expensiveness: The product incorporates the emerging new technology of LED. This has helped the company to substantially reduce the production cost. So the final output of the product will be priced in accordance with the market price, while the firm can also reduce the distribution cost, import expense and intermediation cost. Because when a company import and sell a product, the producer, distributer and ultimately the importer has to make profit from the same unit. So the product normally will have more selling and distribution cost than the manufacturing cost. This huge disadvantage is purely eliminated from our product because it is a Sri Lankan product. So in this context the company will set the price well below the market price. So the customers can get a good quality product at a lower cost. ? Efficiency and durability: The main competitive advantage of the product is the efficient use of the product that is 30 minutes of recharge ime will enable the user to operate the unit for 300 minutes, which is comparatively high usage when comparing with other similar products in the industry. The other benefit is that we have incorporated two options to satisfy the customer needs, which is bright mode and active mode. This will further enhance the usage. ? Warranty claims: The Company will provide a one year warranty for the product. That is our company will bear all the repair and maintenance expenses of the product which is returned to us within one year from the sales date. It increases the reliability of the product among customers. ? Customer Support: In this industry normally after sales services are not a popular facility provided by the producer. So the company has planned to provide technical support to customers after the sales regarding the usage and warranty claims. This will be done through the telephone conversation and through the business agents. So this service provides an additional comfort with the company’s product. 3. 6 Trade Secrets and Patent Rights This is a very important area to be considered. But the firm is protected in this area because according to the initial market research there are very few Sri Lankan companies producing this type of products by importing the partly finished components and doing the latter part of the production (Assembling) in Sri Lanka. So there is no direct competitor for the firm in the current context. Bur the product may face Reverse Engineering in future. But this type of risks is common in this business area, so it is very difficult to protect this. But if the marketing team of the firm communicate the customers clearly, then it will be easier to promote the original products. The firm is sure that it has unique knowledge and skills about its product and the business, so this is the strongest competitive advantage of the firm and, it may not disclose it to others. As many would expect, this approach has its own issues like disclosure requirement, but many ventures have competed successfully this way. 3. 7 Stage of Development The product is in the prototype stage and the company has successfully completed the previous two stages of conceptual and design stages. It will be ready for marketing once it has started the business activities. And it is possible for the firm to grab the first mover advantage of this type of LED technology. 04. MARKET AND INDUSTY ANALYSIS Industry analysis and market analysis are two different ways to look at the environment in which a business competes. Although related, these two types of analysis differ in their scope. The purpose of the market and industry analysis is to identify the market opportunities for our product, LED rechargeable lights. LED lights are the next generation of lighting solutions which going to emerge in coming years. Therefore there will be a good opportunity for our product in future. 1. Market Analysis In todays technological world, we find a challenging and ever-expanding marketplace for almost any product or service. The role of the market analysis is to help guide the process of better understanding of the most important market segments, how fast the opportunity is growing, what are the key sustainable differentiations and why are these important. In this section we are going to discuss the following components: †¢ Target market segment strategy †¢ Market needs †¢ Market trends †¢ Market segmentation Overall market The lighting industry is in the early stages of shifting away from established technologies – fluorescent, incandescent, and high-intensity discharge (HID) lighting – toward light-emitting diodes (LEDs). Adoption rates of LED lighting are expected to grow in the coming years as the efficiency and quality of LEDs surpass those of competing technologies and as the price is low. Not only the quality and low price of LED rechargeable lights, people not having the comfort of using the electricity, especially like a country like Sri Lanka, also makes way for us to make a market appearance. Our market would be mainly based on North and central provinces as those areas have no regular and proper supply of electricity. Over the past few years the market for LED rechargeable lights has shown a growing trend and it is likely that the current trend will continue. Future development of the northern and eastern provinces may decline the demand for LED rechargeable lights in those areas as they may get the regular supply of electricity. But the increase in the price of electricity makes the market opportunity for LED rechargeable lights outshining as more people opt for cheap lighting systems. In future, growth in the market for LED rechargeable lights is highly anticipated and it will be made possible by rapidly decreasing LED prices, ever-increasing efficiencies and improved quality of light. Therefore the revenue is expected to increase and the future looks bright for LED rechargeable lights in the coming years. Addressable market Although our overall market covers northern, eastern and central provinces our main focus would be on the rural areas of these provinces, where there is no electricity facility or the supply of electricity is interrupted often. People who are in search of a way to minimize their cost for electricity will be also included in our addressable market. Segmentation We have identified our market segment as follows, †¢ Groups of customers: Our main customers would be people who have no regular access to electricity, low income earners and people who want to minimize their spending on electricity. †¢ Geography: First we would introduce our product in the local market giving more attention to northern, eastern and central provinces. †¢ Product features: Our LED rechargeable lights give more brightness with less power consumption. Benefits: Saves power, money and time. †¢ Prices: Our strategy would be cost leadership. We would produce the lights at a very low cost, add a profit margin to that and price our product at a low price. †¢ Distribution channel: We would distribute our product using direct distribution methods. There won’t be any intermediaries in our distribution chain. Entry point Our main target is to cater the people who have no electricity and people who are in search of an alternative to fulfill their need for light, with a proper lighting system. This would become an entry point for us as there are many people in Sri Lanka searching for a proper lighting system. And the recent hike in electricity prices has made many people seeking for a cheaper electricity solution as our product is cheap and power saving, this opportunity would pave the way for us to enter the market. 2. Industry Analysis Industry analysis is a vital part of the decision-making process in a business. A comprehensive industry analysis helps to take an objective view of the underlying forces, attractiveness, and success factors that determine the structure of the industry. Understanding the businesss operating environment in this way can help to formulate an effective strategy, position the business for success, and make the most efficient use of the limited resources of the small business. We are going to discuss the following sections in the industry analysis: †¢ Industry Description †¢ Industry Trends †¢ Industry Size and Attractiveness †¢ Profit Potential †¢ Target Market †¢ Competitive Position Industry analysis on LED Rechargeable Light The industry for LED rechargeable lights is very small with few manufacturers, therefore the competitors of our proposed product would be less and as a result of this, it is possible enter easily and cater the market need with cost effective, efficient solution. Another significant advantage over the product is there are no other manufacturers in Sri Lanka, who produce LED rechargeable lights. The prevailing competitors compete mainly on price and the technologies used by the competitors are relatively similar. The degree of competition is lower in the industry therefore the probability of success is comparatively higher for a new entrant in this market. Industry organization Majority of LED Rechargeable lights available in Sri Lanka are produced in Japan, China, Taiwan and India and there are few small assemblers in Sri Lanka. The products are mainly distributed via supermarket channels, LG Abans, Singer and small retail electronics shops and distribution is extensively made in main cities such as Colombo, Kandy, Galle suburban areas. There is less number of distribution points in Northern and Central Province and only the customers in the capital city are purchasing LED rechargeable lights. Value is created to the proposed product via operations, sales and marketing, service and usage of advanced technology. The competitive firms mainly use the above value adding activities to improve profit margin. Competitive Environment The competitive firms compete mainly on price and quality, and the introduction of new products is in a lower rate. Products are differentiated from one another mainly based on the number of LED bulbs used in light and priced accordingly. Customer support is given in the mean of quality warranty; in average one year service warranty is given by the competitive firms. Number of firms prevail in the market is very few, since the degree of rivalry is also low. A new entrant should compete mainly based on Quality (efficiency), Price (cost effective), and service excellence (Warranty) in order to survive and to attract more customers in the market. Since the market is dominated by imported goods the response to new entrants is slow and LED rechargeable lights are not sold many dealers in Sri Lanka. Market is highly fragmented and the competitors are traditional and old. There is high demand for Nippon products but its price extensively higher than other similar products The problems faced by the target customers due to the competitors’ products are a. Since the distribution channel is not well established in the target customers’ geographical area (Northern and Central Province), it is difficult for the customer to find the dealers to repair the product if any fault is identified in the product. b. Similar products available in the market are less efficient in case of electricity consumption (high electricity consumption when charging), charging life is lesser than mentioned in the product catalogue, and the power is lesser than expected. c. Price of the product is high and the target customer segment find it difficult to purchase LED rechargeable light even though they have a need of it. Barriers to Entry When a new venture enters into the LED rechargeable lights industry it has to mainly face the following barriers from its competitive forces. a. Competitors such as Nippon, Kanchen are well established firms in the international market and equipped with advanced technologies therefore these firms will enjoy economies of scale and at the initial stage our firm has to incur comparatively more costs for technology, product designing and manufacturing. Therefore at the initial stage product efficiency and manufacturing efficiency is vital. b. There are some well established brands in the market and customers are loyal to those brands but the price of those brands are relatively higher therefore target customers may not be able to afford that higher price. c. Distribution channel of the product is not well established in the target geographical area therefore there are no competitors who have control over the channel. d. Switching cost for the proposed product relatively higher since the current market price of the competitors’ product. Even though there is an opportunity for the new entrants since the distribution channel of existing products is not reached to the target customer segment. Control over industry Competition of LED rechargeable lights are mainly based on price therefore pricing should be made in the way of value adding and it is important to set price lower than industry average. The bargaining power of customers is higher since they prefer cost effective solution. Suppliers of the raw material have more power since at the initial stage the production volume is low therefore it is difficult to obtain discounts from the supplier by bargaining. Competitive advantage can be gained only through effective production process. Existing competitors are mainly using indirect channels to distribute; it would be successful if proposed product adopts direct means of distribution. Competition prevailing in the industry. There is no aggressive competition in the market and proposed product is the pioneer locally produced product in the industry. The direct competitors in LED rechargeable light industry are Nippon, Kanchan and Orbit and few small importers. a. Nippon LED Rechargeable Lights Nippon LED rechargeable lights are the products of Nippon Electric Company (NEC), Japan. It is a well reputed brand in Sri Lanka and the products are imported by Nippon Lanka (pvt) Ltd. The distribution of products made via its showroom in Bambalapitiya and through super market chains (Arpico, Keells Super), customers are loyal to the product since they perceive it has good quality than the products available in the market. Nippon Lanka doesn’t have sellers in the Central and Northern Province. b. Kanchan Rechargeable Lights Kanchan is an Indian product and price is relatively cheaper than Nippon but the technology used by Knachan is different since the major technology used is Fluorescent Bulbs and these bulbs are comparatively inefficient than LED. The main mean of distribution is online selling and it is not reached in the rural areas of Sri Lanka. c. Orbit Star LED Rechargeable Light Orbit Star is a product from Orbit and it uses online selling as a major source of distribution to reach the target customer (www. anything. lk and www. topshop. lk), the accessibility of internet is poor in Central and Northern Province. Indirect competitors of LED rechargeable light would be the producers of Solar Power Lights, Kerosene, Dynamo, Bio gas but the above substitutes are inefficient and expensive than proposed product. Future potential competitors would be the producers who are using advanced technologies such as NANO and OLED. Opportunity Based on the market and industry analysis there is a need for efficient, environmental friendly, cost effective, environmental friendly LED rechargeable lamp especially in Northern and Central Province. The weakness of the competitors will be used as an additional feature in order to capture the market via prevailing opportunities.

Herpes Simplex Virus Antiviral Drug Resistance

Herpes Simplex Virus Antiviral Drug Resistance Omer Baskan The increasing drug resistance of the herpes simplex virus Abstract Herpes simplex infections remain very common worldwide, the development of new treatments is of vital importance, particularly for the severely immunocompromised individuals due to the increasing emergence of HSV resistant strains being reported. The standard treatment for HSV still remains highly effective, however there is an ever increasing risk that drug resistant HSV will become more prevalent due to the reliance on a limited group of drugs: acyclovir, foscarnet and cidofovir. This review aims to address the failure of previous studies conducted, which include the focus on treating acyclovir resistant HSV with foscarnet and cidofovir but not aiming to discover new compounds which might be used to treat HSV instead. A valuable source for new treatments is the abundance of natural compounds which exhibit antiviral properties. Several candidates are addressed and discussed in this review. Introduction A large family of DNA viruses commonly known as herpesviridae is largely known for causing diseases in humans as well as animals. The most prevalent forms of the virus family are known as HSV-1, HSV-2, Varicella zoster virus, Epstein-Barr virus and Cytomegalovirus. All five mentioned members of the herpesvirus family (herpesviridae) are known to infect humans (Sandri-Goldin, 2006), in total there 8 herpesviruses which can infect humans, these include human herpesvirus 6 and 7, and finally Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (Carter Saunders, 2013). So far there are more than 130 herpesviruses which can affect a range of animals (Brown Newcomb, 2011). Herpesviruses are latent therefore they can remain in most people undetected, as the virus establishes itself in the ganglia of the peripheral nervous system (Stevens, 1975). It is reported that more than 90% of adults have been infected with the aforementioned species of the virus (Chayavichitsilp et al., 2009). Once an HSV infection occurs it will establish latency and can then multiply in large numbers as it has been reactivated, this then allows for the infection of a new host. In people who have a competent immune system the infection can be both painful and distressing but most importantly it is seldom life threatening. As a result the risks associated with herpes simplex are underestimated by people. However individuals with a HSV infection who also happen to have an impaired immune system can have life threatening symptoms which can result in death (Severson Tyring, 1999). The preferred treatment of choice is the use of acyclovir (Morfin Thouvenot, 2003) but due to its widespread use it has led to the emanation of HSV strains which are resistant to acyclovir (Morfin Thouvenot, 2003). Resistant strains were first reported in 1982 (Sibrack et al., 1982). Therefore, surveys were conducted which showed that there was a recurring low incidence rate of acyclovir resistant strains among i mmunocompetent patients which was 0.6% (Englund et al., 1990). However among patients who have an impaired immune system the acyclovir resistant strains which were recovered showed a frequency ranging from 3 to 6%, this figure then reaches 14% among patients who have received a bone marrow transplant (Englund et al., 1990). This review aims to deal with the features attributed with the emanation of acyclovir resistant HSV as well as the epidemiological features. Whilst addressing the severity of the emerging drug resistance strains of HSV and its impact on immunocompromised patients. This review will also aim to highlight potential natural compounds which are new candidates for the development of new antivirals to combat HSV, as well as many compounds which should have further investigation into its antiviral properties. Epidemiology It is rare for resistance to ACV to occur in immunocompetent patients but there have been reports that described that there is a below 1% occurrence of ACV resistance in the population (Nugier et al., 1992). Most acyclovir resistant HSV isolated from patients with competent immune systems have been detected because of repeatedly having genital herpes. The observed occurrence ranged from 3.5 to 8.6% (Fife et al., 1994). In most cases the course of antivirals remained unchanged, there was only three cases of genital herpes were use of acyclovir was unsuccessful due to HSV being resistant to acyclovir (Mouly et al., 1995). Acyclovir resistant among certain HSV infections is about 5% (Christophers et al., 1998), this is only among immunocompromised patients who are most at risk of contracting an acyclovir resistant HSV. Infections caused by HSV among bone marrow transplant patients shows that patients that have received a bone marrow of either autologous or allogeneic origin have the same risk of developing an HSV infection. Resistance to acyclovir was detected only among allogeneic bone marrow transplant patients, this led to the discovery of the prevalence of resistance reaching 30% in patients who have had an allogeneic bone marrow transplant (Morfin et al., 2004). HSV strains that have been isolated from 3000 patients have been tested and have shown that half of them were immunocompetent whereas the other half had a immunocompromised system (Morfin Thouvenot, 2003). The resistance of acyclovir was 0.3% among immunocompetent and 4% among immunocompromised (Morfin Thouvenot, 2003). Concerning the certain type of immunosuppression present, the resistance has been detected as 2.8% among solid organ transplant patients, 3.5% among HIV infected patients and at 29% for allogeneic transplant patients (Morfin Thouvenot, 2003). These results show that the prevalence of acyclovir resistant HSV was stable in 2003 compared to previous studies published more than 10 years ago. This level of stability is same for both immunocompetent and immunocompromised patients. As suggested by previous studies, resistance to acyclovir is a major concern for allogeneic bone marrow transplant patients. Mechanism of resistance Nucleoside analogues make up the majority of antiherpetic drugs in clinical use (Morfin Thouvenot, 2003). Acyclovir is a guanosine analogue, as is penciclovir. Cidofovir is a phosphonate molecule which is derived from cytidine and foscarnet has a very different structure, as it is analogous to a pyrophosphate. The mechanism of action for acyclovir and penciclovir involve two viral enzymes. These are thymidine kinase which is for the first phosphorylation of the activation step and DNA polymerase, which is used as a target for the triphosphate form. Only two phosphorylations are needed for cidofovir for it to obtain the active diphosphate molecule, with both being performed by cellular kinases. Foscarnet only acts directly on the viral DNA polymerase (Figure 1; De Clercq et al., 2001). There are three mechanisms which are involved in HSV resistance to acyclovir: an alteration of thymidine kinase substance specificity, an alteration of DNA polymerase activity and a loss of thymidine kinase activity (Larder et al., 1983). The viral gene encoding for thymidine kinase can have a mutation occur within them resulting in 95% of acyclovir resistance isolates presenting a thymidine kinase deficient phenotype (Hill et al., 1991). Recovery of thymidine kinase deficient, altered and positive virus in a single isolate can lead to a detection of resistance of susceptible viruses (Nugier et al., 1992). These mutations that can cause resistance, occur spontaneously during viral replication therefore viruses which are resistant can then be selected for antiviral treatment. Functional DNA polymerase is required for viral replication but not for thymidine kinase. Therefore, there is a higher probability of a viable acyclovir resistant virus being caused by a mutation in the thymidine kinase gene, than by a mutation which occurs in the DNA polymerase. Viral pathogenesis of mutant viruses depends on the resistance phenotype. However to DNA polymerase and thymidine kinase altered mutants, thymidine kinase deficient HSV is known to be impaired for pathogenesis in animal models (Morfin Thouvenot, 2003). Therefore they fail to reactivate from a latent form in explanted tissue ganglia (Kosz-Vnenchak et al., 1990). Thymidine kinase activity is not involved in the formation of latent infections but it is required for the virus to reactivate from latency (Efstathiou et al., 1989). After isolation of resistant HSV, the reactivations tend to be associated with the original, thymidine kinase positive and acyclovir sensitive strain (Morfin Thouvenot, 2003). Although, there are few reports checking reactivations due to the acyclovir resistant virus associated with the thymidine kinase altered virus (Kost et al., 1993) or thymidine kinase deficient virus (Morfin et al., 2000). Management of HSV infections with acyclovir resistance In order to manage an HSV infection which is resistant to acyclovir we currently have to use several antiviral drugs. Many of the acyclovir resistant HSV isolates tend to be resistant to penciclovir but this occurs rarely. Some isolates can be resistant to acyclovir but still be susceptible to penciclovir as there have been reported cases; mechanisms of resistance to acyclovir of these particular strains was most likely an altered thymidine kinase protein (Sutton Boyd, 1993) or it could have been that a mutation occurred in the viral DNA polymerase (Suzutani et al., 2003). The thymidine kinase protein allows for acyclovir to become active but only in cells which are infected with HSV (Morfin Thouvenot, 2003). Cidofovir and foscanet act directly on the viral DNA polymerase without the need of activation by viral thymidine kinase. The molecules cidofovir and foscarnet are both active on the HSV which is resistant to acyclovir, this is due to a mutation in the thymidine kinase gene (B lot et al., 2000), however in clinical practice the molecules cidofovir and foscarnet are associated with high levels of toxicity. Managing a acyclovir resistant HSV infection can be further improved by decreasing immunosuppressive treatments for the patient (Collins Oliver, 1986). In vitro detection of resistance In vitro evaluation of HSV susceptibility to antiviral drugs is based on the determination of viral replication inhibition in the presence of increasing concentrations of antiviral drugs. There are three techniques which are available to reveal viral replication: plaque reduction assay which is the reference technique, dye uptake method (Langlois et al., 1986) and DNA hybridisation test (Swierkosz et al., 1987). The dye uptake method and DNA hybridisation test are known to be less time consuming as the reading cytopathic effect is automatable (Morfin Thouvenot, 2003). The concentration of antiviral drugs can be determined by the three techniques mentioned which can lead to viral replication inhibition by 50% (inhibitory concentration 50%, IC50). To discriminate between the resistant strains, IC50 thresholds must be defined for every single virus and antiviral drug set. The values are determined using the mean value obtained for susceptible viruses. These thresholds are arbitrary and the detection of resistance is coming from the evolution of IC50 values of sequential isolates from a patient. There has been a development of several screening techniques using a limited number of viral dilutions and antiviral drug concentrations (Danve et al., 2002). The phenotypic methods all require isolation of viral strains on the cell cultures. This is time consuming and can delay the adaptation of antiviral treatment according to in vitro susceptibility (Danve et al., 2002). Therefore genotypic tests are being developed in order to detect the resistant virus strains at a much shorter time delay (Morfin Thouvenot, 2003). The viral genes which are used to encode thymidine kinase and DNA polymerase are amplified by PCR and the products then produced by PCR can be then sequenced. The main area of concern lies in the fact that many nucleotide substitutions can be found and they must then be identified as the mutations which are responsible for resistance. This interpretation will made easier as more results on mutations detected in the resistant isolates are then collected for future comparison and analysis. Natural products with anti-herpes simplex virus activity A phenolic compound known as Caffeic acid which is shown below, is an effective substance in Plantago major (Figure 2; Bourne et al., 1999). It has been shown to exhibit strong activity against HSV-1 but decreased activity against HSV-2 (Mundinger Efferth, 2008). Reducing the number of hydroxyl groups from the phenolic compound has also shown to reduce activity against HSV-1 (Chiang et al., 2002). Curcumin (Figure 3A) which is shown below is another phenolic compound and is mainly present in the spice turmeric and was found to inhibit genes of HSV-1 by an unknown mechanism (Mundinger Efferth, 2008). It has also been previously shown that curcumin is slightly active against HSV-2 in vitro. An in vivo assay with the use of a mouse model of intravaginal HSV-2 infections showed that curcumin can provide significant protection (Mundinger Efferth, 2008). In a further experiment cineole (Figure 3B), exhibited very similar results to curcumin, whilst eugenol (Figure 3C) provided results in the mouse model which showed the most promise (Mundinger Efferth, 2008). This study was then repeated but this time with the use of guinea pigs to represent the course of HSV-2 infection. The use of guinea pigs allowed for a more accurate representation of the infection that could occur in humans. The results showed that eugenol was again highly effective (Mundinger Efferth, 2008). The use of eugenol resulted in fewer animals developing primary infections. Benencia and Courreges have confirmed the effectiveness of eugenol at preventing virus replication (Benencia Courrà ¨ges, 2000). Therefore, it was suggested that eugenol may damage the envelope proteins of the newly-synthesised virus particles (Serkedjieva Manolova, 1992). In the animal models, it was shown that capsaicin was effective against HSV. Although, it was noxious when it was applied to the mucous membranes and also caused an unpleasant burning sensation. Consequently, civamide (Figure 4) was tested in animal models as it is less noxious. When civamide was administered prior to the virus challenge it was shown to reduce primary infections, it was also to shown to reduce the effect of the infection after the virus challenge (Mundinger Efferth, 2008). Civamide was also shown to reduce the latent infection recurrence but only when it was used as a weekly treatment for suppressive maintenance therapy (Bourne et al., 1999). Propolis has long been seen as a natural product for antiviral treatments. Nine flavonoids were identified from propolis which were tested for their level of effectiveness against HSV (Amoros et al., 1992). From the group of substances which were tested, galangin and kaempferol (Figure 5) were shown to have the highest anti-HSV in vitro activity (Lyu et al., 2005). A monoterpene which is found in several essential oils named isoborneol (Figure 5), was found to exhibit interesting anti-HSV activity which warranted further investigation. The tests showed that isoborneol was quickly able to inactivate HSV with a 30 minute period of exposure, and it was also completely able to inhibit viral replication at very low concentrations. The presence of isoborneol allowed for the glycosylation of certain viral polypeptides to be inhibited, whilst the glycosylation of cellular proteins remained unchanged. Glycosylation was normal in the presence of isoborneol when copies of the viral proteins were introduced into the cellular genome (Armaka et al., 1999). These results seemingly indicate that isoborneol may be a promising new candidate for HSV treatment. Several sulphated polysaccharides have shown to possess anti-HSV activity, and many carrageenans which are mainly found in red seaweed have been shown to be active against HSV infections. In models of intravaginal HSV-2 infection, mice were shown to exhibit significant signs of protection against HSV infections (Bourne et al., 1999; Talarico et al., 2004), and they were also protected from infection in the abdominal cavity when carrageenan was administered after infection (Pujol et al., 2006). Conclusion Infections of HSV have a high occurrence globally therefore the number of infections is not expected to decrease significantly over the next couple of years. Due to the increasing number of immunocompromised patients and prolonged period of standardised treatment this can only exacerbate the problems caused by drug resistant HSV. The increasing use of acyclovir as the immediate antiviral drug of use to treat an HSV infection has increased the fear of the increasing numbers of acyclovir resistant infections, notably in prophylaxis treatments among transplant patients. However, studies that have been conducted have shown that acyclovir resistant HSV is largely a concern for severely immunocompromised patients, such as those patients who have received a bone marrow from an allogeneic origin. When an acyclovir resistant strain of HSV arises it is best to manage the infection with other antiviral drugs which have different mechanisms of action, the most useful two to use would be foscarnet or cidofovir. There is an urgent need for new treatment options to be developed as current treatment options do remain limited. There is the main use of acyclovir and then the subsequent use of foscarnet or cidofovir which is only used if acyclovir resistance is present. This shows that there is a limited amount of effective treatments available. Therefore, new treatments must be made available in order to avoid any future HSV epidemics. The antiviral potential of the natural products indicates that there is still a wide range of compounds which could be useful in the battle against drug resistant HSV, mainly HSV which is resistant to acyclovir; as it is the main major concern moving forward. Therefore, it is highly advised that research in this area continues so that an even larger amount of compounds can be identified in order to combat drug resistant HSV.

Seamus Heaneys Background and Poetry Essay -- Seamus Heaney Poets Poe

Seamus Heaney's Background and Poetry Seamus Heaney had a Roman Catholic upbringing in a rural area of Northern Ireland. How does his poetry reflect his background? Heaney's poetry is able to reflect his background by his use of language and the technique he expresses his experiences. I will cover his background into three sections: his childhood, the community and his reflections. I will start by looking at his feelings and experiences in the poem 'Death of a Naturalist'. The poet remembers the time when he was a young child. He saw the reality of what frogs were really like in the outdoors compared to what was taught in school. In school, the frogs are described like a typical teacher talking to young pupils. It is very patronising and cosy hiding the fact that they are 'rank', off-putting and sickening in certain ways. For e.g. "the dam gross-bellied frogs were cocked" and " Poised like mud grenades, their blunt heads farting". They are described as being like grenades due to their size, shape, colour and the "scary" croaking noises that the creature makes. It was a new experience for him for he had not heard the noises before," to a coarse croaking that I had not heard before". He did not feel in the right situation and it was like he had never felt like that before. During his experience, he felt insecure, anxious and self-doubting. He puts himself down for he blames himself for the "obscene threats" the frogs were giving him. His use of language is able to quickly adjust the mood from a pleasant school setting to a horrid, smelly and repellent atmosphere. Heaney understood the straightforward and simplistic teachings at school but is bewildered and scared when he approaches the frogs. The po... ... fascinated by her he knows he shouldn't be because she has done wrong. Even though he feels so deeply of this girl he realises how foolish he was by letting them carry on with the punishment; "I who stood dumb". In some cases Heaney is able to use oxymoron in order to describe how society can be a catastrophe at times. He uses the descriptive words "civilized outrage" to show this. He puts two opposite words together to form a different meaning. Hence the word "civilize" and "outrage". Heaney has experienced many tragedies in his life from "Mid Term Break" to "Punishment". He clarifies this using his own expertise of writing to create descriptive poems like these. What must be said about him is how he is talented enough to deliver what is suppose to be delivered, very effectively in order for a reader like me to have such an impact on what is said.

Sound Navigation and Ranging SONAR :: sonar sound wave waves

Missing Images SONAR, as it is most commonly known as has been around since the beginning of time. Animals have used this technique and survived because of it for millions of years. Among the most common are bats and dolphins. Daniel Colloden used a bell to measure the speed of sound underwater in 1822. After the Titanic sunk, the idea of using sound underwater to locate objects, primarily icebergs, was taken up by inventors. Lewis Richardson, a meteorologist, was the first to file a patent for an echo locator one month after the Titanic had sunk. In 1914, Reginald Fessenden made an experimental unit, which was able to detect icebergs within a two-mile range, but it could not determine the direction. During World War I, with the invention of submarines came the need to locate them. Research of underwater sound location was a primary focus for the British. Both the U.S. and Britain were researching what would be Sonar, and it was kept secret throughout the war. By 1922, units were being produced and by 1923, they were being equipped to naval vessels. Throughout the war, Britain referred to this underwater locator as ASDIC, which was the Anti-Submarine Detection Investigation Committee. This committee, however, never existed. The name was just a cover-up to keep the actual detector secret. The term SONAR came from the Americans, who used it as the equivalent of RADAR. The term ASDIC was terminated in 1948 when NATO was formed and signals were being standardized. Sonar utilizes sound propagation to detect objects, navigate, and communicate. Through acoustic location, Sonar can be used to find an object and tell how far away that object is. As shown above, a transmitter sends out a pulse of sound towards an object, the sound wave is then reflected off of the object and sent back to the source. The distance of the object is determined by the amount of time it takes for a reflection to return after the pulse is sent out. This can be affected by several factors such as the density of the media which the sound is traveling through and if the object itself is moving or not. To find the direction of the object, several receivers are used to signal when a reflection passes by them. The above picture shows an initial wave being sent out in all directions.

Does television have a malign influence on society? Essay

Collins Dictionary (2009) defines television as; â€Å"the system or process of producing a moving image with accompanying sound on a distant screen. † This essay will discuss the very debateable subject of television. It will explore; if society as a whole is influenced by viewing, what effect viewing has on individuals and if television is linked to health concerns. The beneficial aspects of television will also be discussed and if this medium was to be expunged, would this possibly have a detrimental effect? As with an essay of this type, it will be as balanced as possible, with statistics, research and public opinion to achieve a balanced conclusion. A common misconception is that television causes violence and is a contributor to crime. One such case is that of James Bulger, in which Jon Venables and Robert Thompson, both aged 10 proceeded to abduct a toddler from a busy shopping precinct. After this abduction they repeatedly beat the toddler and left him for dead. Speculation was widely conveyed to the causal effect of violence portrayed on the big screen, with films as â€Å"child’s play† being at the forefront, leading to a change in censorship laws in 1994. Whereas, Japan; famous for television movies that show extreme violence, crime rates are low, much lower than that of the westernised world (The British Journal of Criminology 1999). Another point to consider is that television is responsible for the increase in Anti-Social Behaviour Orders (ASBO’s). The research undertaken has concluded a behavioural link in the USA and western countries over several years. In recent studies many criminals have confessed to influence of actions portrayed on television (Gunter, 2008). However, there is no definitive link between television and ASBO’s this is usually determined by other social factors, such as; family, surroundings, personality traits, peers and other factors. The next exploration into television viewing is that of advertisements. Advertising in the UK has risen by thirty percent with the introduction of more channels in the last ten years (Guardian. co. uk 2009). Television is being abused for commercial purposes, in which audiences are being sold to. The aim of this is to promote the product as a solution to a problem or the fulfilment of a desire that can only be achieved by purchasing this item (Mander, 1978). It is agued that television affects the human mind by, limiting the possibilities of conscious choice and promotes a consumer society. On the other hand, television is not the only tool for advertisement. As a nation there is a constant â€Å"spoon-feeding† of products to stimulate the desire to purchase. These include advertisement boards, the radio, newspapers and mail, this constant bombardment has a causal effect, of a â€Å"need† to being the first to have the latest deals and products. However, television allows the consumer choices and information to a variety of products which gives a better understanding in their purchases. Television in the UK has shown that it can be financed without the influx of advertising fees. The BBC is paid for from licensing fees and many commercial broadcasters are now increasingly promoting pay-per view options (Inside TV, 2009). Many arguments conform to the fact of being â€Å"forced† to pay for the license fee, whereas the â€Å"pay-per view† option is less obtrusive allowing people to make up their own minds. The exploration of television brings to light that of moral behaviour. A large proportion of television audiences consist of teenagers, these are extremely susceptible to what is seen as their moral values are currently in development (Banerjee, 2005). Humans in the developmental process learn by imitation, normally in the form of a visual aid by mimicking actions by others. One such study was made by Albert Bandura by use of the Bobo doll in 1961. This study was compiled of children who were shown acts of verbal and physical violence inflicted on an inflatable Bobo doll. Although, the results were deemed inconclusive there was a distinct relationship between the acts of violence viewed to the actual acts of aggression the children performed. The developmental formation of a young person’s mentality is directly linked to a causal effect of imitation (Bandura, 1961). Morality can therefore be learned or imitated from acts of violence and various stereotyping promoted by television viewing. Televisions impact on the morality of younger individuals can affect the future of society on a negative plain. In contrast, most influence that children experience in the supplemental development of moral values results from family, friends, religion or even school (Morrison, 1997). Parents and teachers who are incapable of setting strict moral ethics can have an egregious effect on children; with their social environment, friends and state of living being contributory factors. Cultural content in television has little or no sustenance. This is a strong statement with compelling evidence to support this view. Television is a powerful tool for delivering information to the viewer in small concentrated doses; this causes fluctuation in the absorption rate and gives people very narrow-minded views of cultural diversity. Most television programs have the purpose of entertaining the viewer only; which extends to the multitude of films for the deliverance of commercial intent with little actual cultural value. From a religious perspective, television is seen as a temple of mass production, creating shallow values and stereotypes that influence modern society. Television is a form of stimulus only, with the need to experience feelings and emotions in the content consumed, causing an imbalance in serotonin levels. As stated by Dr Dimitri Christakis, ‘television can cause the developing mind to experience unnatural levels of stimulation’ (The Elephant in the living room, 2007). This â€Å"Hollywood† model of producing programming for entertainment purposes can only produce a society of negative values and views, losing regional traditions and diversity for ratings. Contrary to this, there are now more scientific and cultural programs available since the introduction of digital television. People have access to channels that now cater for almost any interest, giving new educational opportunities for society. Information in this medium encourages the individual to participate in society, keeping them informed with current affairs and politics. Certain programs allow viewers to establish closer links between politicians and electors, resulting in a more unified society. Self-expression and more opportunities are fashioned through the medium of television allowing a more â€Å"open† society, allowing the viewer to express their own thoughts and ideas. Moreover, with the introduction of interactive digital viewing this ensues opportunities for society in the future. A contradictory argument, but also a valid point is that television viewing constricts time resulting in an unfulfilled life. Most recreational time is spent sitting in front of the television; data compiled has concluded that a correlation exists between television and health concerns. Childhood obesity has increased in the UK by seventeen percent in the last ten years as a result of more programs directly focused on the youth of society (Times online, 2006). The average British child is spending thirty-six hours watching television; while only spending thirty hours in school. Studies have shown that most children between the ages of two and fifteen have a television in their room, which remains unmonitored by guardians, allowing questionable content to be viewed by impressionable minds (Mail online, 2006). In addition, research undertaken has shown an increase in autism over the last thirty years with a relationship to television; with ninety thousand cases recorded in Britain alone. The lead researcher Michael Warden has determined that of the research conducted although not conclusive this is a very compelling case for the effect of television on society. Increased programming in which caters for all results in reduced recreational time. This includes social interaction, discouraging exercise and improving the quality of â€Å"real† life by narrowing societies view on the world. However, as in most cases this is the conscientious choice of an individual; they are able to choose how to spend their recreational time. As previously mentioned, children learn by imitation and the blame should be with the parents not with television. Social environment and lifestyle determines the arrangement television has on the recreational time of an individual, not the opposite (Telegraph, 2008). Although research has shown that eleven to fifteen year olds are spending fifty-five percent of their waking life in front of television, this research does not correlate to this medium only. Many children are now spending less time than they were ten years ago watching television. With the introduction of a â€Å"techno-junkie† society; many children are now spending more time pursuing interests on the internet, iPods and texting. In many cases this form of communication is how the youth of society conform to one another, sometimes while in the same room. Finally, television has been determined in part to be the cause of the well known psychological problem of depression. The increased popularity of television has resulted in the increase of this phenomenon, as indicated in many scientific conclusions on this subject. This is resulted from the broadcasting of violence, aggression, crimes and wars not only in films but depicted on the daily news. This indication to current events can trigger emotions and effect how the individual looks at society. As perceptions of the world come to conform to the depictions they see on TV, they become more passive, more anxious, and more fearful. Gerbner calls this the â€Å"Mean World Syndrome. † This â€Å"fear† can result in a breakdown in society, as people become too afraid to step outside into a world of nothing but horror and despair (Gerbner, 1998). A study conducted on television and urban lighting concluded that the lighting can have a distinct causal effect with depression (Behavioural Brain Research, 2009). The researchers stated, ‘†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ that exposure to unnatural lighting can induce significant changes in affect (mood)†¦. ‘ Movies and television programs therefore, that emanates dark imagery support scientific research that this encourages psychological tension, pessimism and negative emotions. Consequently, the research and results are inconclusive with no definitive association between television and depression can be found that is beyond reproach. As regards to depiction of violence in the news, people have the right to be informed of the world in which they live. This should include the problems that nations face through visceral images that represent the reality of events honestly, being the first step to solving them. Television programmes can be a source for entertainment and positive emotional reactions. Certain programs allow laughter and happiness to be expelled as a family, an individual or with friends. Many positive emotions can be shared with a variety of genres readily available to watch, this can include; television shows, comedies, musical channels and the list is virtually endless. This form of relaxation enables society to experience positive emotions, even if this is possibly only in the short term to assist in taking their minds off their troubles. To conclude, television has varying amounts of evidence in support of it having an influence on society. From the evidence provided it shows that it seems to have an almost overwhelming case that this is a malign influence. However, none of the evidence is universally accepted and research has proven only that more research is needed to give a more definitive answer. This inconclusive evidence is the reason that television is commissioned to still broadcast material. Although, information is limited by the production companies, it is proven to be a resourceful tool for education. Television can unite families together in laughter and produce a topic for discussion, while at the same time bringing a nation together for a common interest. The educational benefits, social benefits and financial gain is the reason why television has not been removed completely, regardless of the controversial arguments against the usefulness of this medium. Additionally, this brings to question the ethics behind television broadcasting and content. Thus, bringing to light the question; is this influence on society a method of transmitting the thoughts and ideas of the leaders of the country? Or, is this a form of control for the masses, to create a susceptible society? Bibliography All Academic Research (n. d. ) Television and Children’s Moral Reasoning: Development of a Standardized Measure of Moral Reasoning on Interpersonal Violence. Available from: http://www. allacademic. com/: meta/p_mla_apa_research_citation/2/3/3/4/1/p233419_index. html, accessed 29 December 2009  http://www.open2.net/