Service Quality for Retail Banking in the UK - Barclays, PLC Dissertation

Service Quality for Retail Banking in the UK - Barclays, PLC - Dissertation Example Responsiveness is a measure of the willingness to help customers and provide them with prompt service. Assurance measures the competence, courtesy, credibility and security of the service provided, while the empathy is about the caring and individualised service that the bank provides to its customers. This would help the bank in realising whether its customers are satisfied on all grounds and whether there are any gaps in their satisfaction level. We would follow the same standard set by the previously referred authors. A questionnaire survey method will be adopted to measure the service quality of the bank. The study is based on primary data from customers of Barclays and secondary data based on previous studies and shows the different dimensions of retail banking and issues related to service quality and customer satisfaction in case of UK banks. Although Barclays retail bank is considered as an example here, the thesis is to draw a general conclusion on retail banking and the service quality that would be appropriate for customer satisfaction. Several studies and published papers on banking and customer satisfaction and the associated service quality attributes are discussed here. Any research study should not only trace the existing parameters for the variables involved but also provide some future perspective of reference. Within this context, the levels of customer satisfaction could be found out from primary data in which customers are directly required to complete surveys and provide responses on what changes they expect in the future and what kind of services they have encountered in the banks. Their suggestions and recommendations from questionnaires form the basis for... This study is an assessment of how much this change has been implemented or is successful within the branches. The corporate strategy of Barclays has also been analyzed and showed how the bank strategy could or should change from an emphasis on sales to an emphasis on customer service. The attitudes and behaviors of customer service officials have also changed towards customers suggesting that changing of corporate strategy tend to have a direct impact on employee behavior and company functions and performance as well. In conclusion, there are several issues that have been highlighted through this study and shows that after an appraisal and interview and survey of customer attitudes and expectations. Some individuals, however, expressed their problems as seen in the qualitative dimension or analysis of the study and suggested that the bank should be more concerned with individualized attention and improve its services by being prompt and efficient. Improving certain online banking features and international banking features were also considered important for overall improvement of the bank’s functions. This study has shown that although Barclays has been largely known for poor customer services and focuses more on sales rather than customer services, it’s recent change of approach with greater emphasis on improving customer services than improving sales figures seem to have worked for positive results as customers seem to be more satisfied with the services offered by the banks.

Global warming Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Global warming - Research Paper Example As stated, the temperature of the earth’s surface has been slowly but surely rising over the span of a few centuries. This increase in temperature, though assumed to have always been taking place, was first called to attention in the early 1800s. The first Industrial Revolution brought with it coal, railroads, and the cutting down of forests for various projects, all of which prompted the speeding up of greenhouse gas emissions (Weart, 2008). The second Industrial Revolution saw a similar change, and scientists began recording the slightest of changes to the earth’s temperature. However, in the past decade, it has been noted that this increase in temperature has only quickened with time. This is thought to be due to the advancement in technology that has allowed us to create more finite-dependable utilities. Due to global warming, various locations throughout the world are seeing changes to their weather and temperatures that they have never experienced before. While so me places are experiencing unfamiliar, and often unbearable, heat, other places are finding themselves bundling up in attempts to withstand the unusual and unseasonal chill. The greatest change in surface temperature can be found in Alaska and Greenland, where the Inuit tribes are discovering for the first time what it means to have a warm day in a land predominantly made of ice. Similarly, the weather conditions throughout the world have changed, bringing rain to places that are otherwise barren and dryer weather to locations that are more used to rain or snow. The cause of global warming takes place on earth, but the effects primarily take place in the atmosphere. When greenhouse gases, mainly carbon dioxide emissions from deforestation, become trapped in the earth, the greenhouse effect comes as a result. These gases would normally be able to escape from the earth, but when they are unable to they remain close enough to the surface to cause dramatic changes in temperature. Carbon dioxide is the most harmful of these gases as it stays in the atmosphere for an increased amount of time, often exceeding many hundreds of years (Archer, 2007). Even a small buildup of carbon dioxide can cause a significant increase in temperature. The more emissions we allow to enter our atmosphere, the more carbon dioxide that remains. This buildup leads to increased temperatures, and thus global warming. Effects of Global Warming Though global warming is being experienced throughout the world, the most noticeable and drastic changes can be seen in locations where ice caps are great in quantity. As the earth’s temperature increasingly becomes warmer, these ice caps, such as those found in the Arctic, begin to melt. Contrary to popular belief, ice caps melt starting at the bottom, gradually losing size to their bases and slowly moving up as the ice caps become smaller. Approximately eleven percent of all landmass is glacial ice (Houghton, 2009), so the water levels are grea tly effected by the melting ice caps. The ramifications of these melting ice caps may not be immediately noticeable, but as they continue to melt, the sea levels continue to rise, which bring forth further problems. As the sea levels rise, the oceans expand. To make room for all of this excess water, the oceans have no choice but to spill over onto our landmasses, which can result in horrific flooding throughout the world. Any landmass that borders the oceans will be effected by

Musical Films In The 20th Century

Musical Films In The 20th Century In this paper I address the development and cultural influence of musical films in the 20th century. My primary motive is to understand how musical films gained such popularity and how they were used for social and economic purposes and resolve problems of religion, race and etc of this period. My concern are the ways in which how musical films became the most characteristic creation of the Hollywood film industry. I will take into consideration of the THE SOUND OF MUSIC which was written by Rodgers and Hammerstein, an influential and innovative American theatre writing team and directed by Robert Wise, the Academy Award winning Director. My central discussion will be around this film, starring Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer, but before this I would like to briefly put some light on how music is essential for a film in general. Music has been a part of film almost since the beginning of motion pictures. Music originally had a practical use to keep the audience from talking and dull the sound of the noisy projector (Buchanan, 1974). At the crudest level, one might say that the music is there simply to keep the audience from becoming distracted (Williams, 1974) When silent film were first introduced the film projector used to make noise, so music was put in order to take over the noise of the projector In musical films the narrative is driven by the characters singing songs to enhance the story. The term Musical is not only the presence of music but a shared configuration of character types and plot patterns. Growth Of Musical Films The period between 1930 and 1960 was the golden age of musical films. Every country in the world started making musical films. In Europe during the 1930s musical films gained much fame. By this time, European directors got quite influenced and began making musicals by the 1940s whereas the British had already made a lot of musicals by then. The British used music hall stars and well known actors in their films. The movie, The Sound Of Music was a big influence for other countries to make Musicals. Robert Wise released his movie in 1965 showing that time of the 1930s which was marked by Nazism and movements opposing it. This movie is about a nun named Maria (Julie Andrews) who was sent away to an Austrian Naval captain, Captain Van Troops mansion, to be the governess for his seven children. Since Van troop had lost his wife and he needed a governess to handle his children. He maintained strict discipline in the house, and provided little fatherly love to his children. As the new governess, Maria tries to bring happiness into the family by reviving music amongst them by teaching the children how to sing Do re me and then later on making the children sing for the Baroness as well as by putting together a little show at the ball party hosted at the mansion. Seeing the lovely display, the Van Troop family is selected to sing at the Salzburg Folk Festival. Being an Austrian patriot, the Captain is strongly opposed to the Nazi takeover and Hitler. The music in the movie which is sung by the principle characters helps to advance the plot. The Hollywood film industry is on the top when it comes to creating musical films. But many countries like France, Egypt, Jamaica and Sweden have adapted the genre of Musical Films. In India most directors have been creating Musical films. India has always been very influenced by musical films. The Indian director Gulzar was highly influenced by The Sound Of Music in 1965 and thus, made Parichay in 1972 which had the same plot as the sound of music. Development of Musical Films Music has been used ever since the beginning of cinema. Before 1920 in America and Europe live musicians used to sing on the sets while the characters performed on the screen . During 1920s and 1930s America had made many music films such as The Jazz Singer(1927) by using new sound technology and creating locations on diegetic music. These directors used every type of music in films such as opera, classical music etc. America made over a 100 musical films in the year 1930. Many Hollywood directors used the same musical melodrama that consisted of a widow, a person unlucky in love or a family problem. By the early 1950s and the late 1960s Musical films were based on the political and economical movement which had taken place earlier. For example, in The sound of music, Captain Van troop was against the rule of Nazis over Austria, and in the second half of the film, the Captain gets a letter from the Nazi naval base, forcing him to come and command their ships. Van troop was escorted by the Nazi forces to the Salzburg Folk Festival, after which he had to be taken to naval base, but instead, after addressing his people here and singing for them for the last time, he escaped with his newly wedded wife, Maria and his children. The Classic Hollywood Musical 1933 was the year of change. Warner brothers began to produce musicals of a new kind. Now an economically viable combination of music a narrative was being attempted. Previously musical films had simply added music to familiar stories, Now it was mostly love making and mostly choreographed by Busby Berkley. Plots with dying children, selfish sisters and enemies were replaced by celebration of young couples love through the energy of song a dance. Warner back stage films, RKO films, Astaire rogers films and MGM films were all musicals examples Gold Diggers of 1935 and Broadway melody of 1936 etc. All of the movies bridged a gap between fancy costumes and distant upper class sets of operetta and the down to earth plots and music of folk traditions. During the mid 1930s the main feature of a musical were a formal narrative with the music and numbers linked through a story line, a romantic couple and the society or a community surrounding them, straight realism and pure rhythm merging, and a mixture of diegetic music and dialogues and dance. There were many post war attempts to build musicals such as Singing in the Rain (1951), The Sound of music (1965) and many more. In the late 1970s there was a strong revival of musicals. The movie displayed renewed ability to integrate contemporary music and more into the traditional structure of a musical genre. Cultural Influences of Musical Films United States of America was mainly represented abroad by the musical films for almost half a century. Their musicals was used for economical, artistic and social purposes. The history of musicals is often linked to the development of sound film technology and the relationship between Hollywood and the United States Music Distribution System. In 1929, In order to reduce the cost of obtaining music for sound films Warner Bros began to acquire music publishing companies. Other studies soon followed suit. In 1950s Columbia financed My Fair Lady which was also a musical melodrama directed by George Cukor. In the beginning public performances of songs helped a lot to the directors to publicise their musical films. Warner Bros used music for their own musicals. When 45 rpm records came, top forty lists and long playing albums also came . For 30 years Hollywood musicals were an integrated part of the lines of the music lovers. Sheet music was a part of families singing sitting together around the piano. Every new musical style was turned instantly to a dance craze and widely practiced in the ball rooms. Courtship and the community were the solutions offered by the musicals for every type of conservative social practices. All problem of religion, race and age were resolved for the central couple through the optimistic approach in the musicals which effected every household. America was recognised by this Americannes abroad, which influenced other media, musical styles and dress patterns around the world. In the late 1960s and 1970s the musicals even influenced the sermons and worship services of the American Protestant Church. At high school graduates as church anthems songs like Climb every mountain from The Sound of Music (1965) were heard. Bible based musicals were also produced such as Jesus Christ Superstar in 1973. Even in the movie Sound of Music the whole story was driven and narrated by music. The youth of these times loved films of Elvis Presley and Beatles. Rock concert films became predominant. The musical films gradually became a part of history, but have evolved in a different way. The 1980s video revolution , The music videos are one such culmination of this filmed recording of a musical spectacle. Conclusion In my discussion I tried to show that how musical films started and what all were the effects of musical films on other parts and other film industries of the world. As I discussed the starting of the musical films I saw how films changed with time, I also saw that there was a huge change in the plot and the story line of the films which were commonly used, Earlier each story consisted of a widow or a person unlucky in love or a family problem and every director used to have a live orchestra and musicians on the set while the actors were on screen and lip singing and then in the late 1960s the plot changed to a story of a romantic couple and the society and they used to take famous musicians like Beatles etc. Musical films helped the people to be aware of the political movements going on and also the economical and cultural purposes. America was the first country to make a Musical Film. Musical films also helped to resolve the problems of human beings such as race, age, religion and etc.Musical Films became one of the most popular genre and was adapted by many directors in the 20th century.

Tourette Syndrome Essay examples -- Biology Essays Research Papers

Tourette Syndrome I have been intrigued by this disorder since I met a beautiful little girl named Sarah. Sarah's father recently told me that doctors have informed him that Sarah may have Tourette Syndrome. I had visions in my mind of a little girl shouting profanity uncontrollably with arms flailing about, although the times that I have been with Sarah have never been marked by these actions. I set out to find more information to satisfy my own curiosity and to make myself a resource for Sarah's father. Tourette Syndrome (TS) was first officially described over 100 years ago by a French neurologist named Gilles de la Tourette, a pupil of Charcot's and a friend of Freud's. He described nine patients, primarily Madame de Dampierre, by saying: At the age of 7 (she) was afflicted by convulsive movements of the hands and arms. . . She was felt to be suffering from overexcitement and mischief, and . . . she was subjected to reprimand and punishment. It soon became clear that these movements were indeed in voluntary. . . involved the shoulders, the neck, and the face, and resulted in contortions and extraordinary grimaces (1). Soon after the motor tics developed, Dampierre developed vocal tics consisting of screams and cries. Until her death at 85, she was forced to live in seclusion (2). Between 1920 and 1960, TS was all but forgotten, and psychiatrists and psychoanalysts treated the symptoms as suppressed aggression, which proved ineffective (1). When drugs such as haloperidol were able to alleviate symptoms in the 1960's, however, Giles de la Tourette's initial observations were reevaluated. Dr. Oliver Sacks notes, "Tourette's was regarded - in a sudden reversal - as a chemical disease, the result of a neurotransmitter, dopamine... ...ourette Syndrome. http://neuro-www2.mgh.harvard.edu/TSA/AboutTS/faq.html 7. Definitions and Classification of Tic Disorders. The Tourette Syndrome Classification Study Group. http://tsa.harvard.edu/TSA/medsci/definitions.html 8. Personal Health: Living with the Mysteries of Tourette Syndrome. Brody, Jane E. The New York Times, March 1, 1995. http://tsa.mgh.harvard.edu/TSA/whatshappening/brody.html 9. An Early Warning for Tics?: Faint Signals, Sensory Urges, and Momentary Relief. Leckman Ph.D., James F. National TSA Newsletter - Spring 1996. http://tsa.harvard.edu/TSA/medetter/spring1996.html 10. The Facts about Tourette Syndrome. Alternative Health. http://members.tripod.com/~tourette13/ 11. Scientists Brainstorm to Find Cure for Tourette Syndrome. Weizmann Institute of Science. http://wis-wander.weizmann.ac.il/site/EN/weizman.asp?pi=372

Nuclear Weapons: Good or Bad?

Reaction Paper: Nuclear Weapons – Danger or Necessity? The use of nuclear weapons has been under much debate from the moment the world witnessed their destructive power. As seen in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the aftermath left by these weapons is utter chaos, having a profound effect on both victims and witnesses lives. However, author Kenneth N. Waltz advocates the necessity of nuclear weapons as a balance of power between countries. Another author, Robert S. McNamara stands in favor of eliminating nuclear weapons for good, bringing reassurance of peace for a fearful world. As debates over nuclear weapon use rage on, the threat is still present and must be handled carefully to avoid a man made apocalypse. McNamara and his stance on eliminating nuclear weapons is sensible, primarily due to the common man and woman agreeing with his logic. Nuclear weapons in today’s world have no purpose but to scare opposing countries from complete warfare, a purpose that hopefully stays that way. While they were an everyday occurrence during the cold war years, concerns with the growth of existing nuclear stockpiles are no longer front page news. In an era where the security agenda is topped by fighting terrorism, we are more worried that terrorist organizations or rogue regimes might acquire nuclear weapons and inflict unspeakable damage to the targeted countries. McNamara argues that â€Å"The countries of the world should try to eliminate their nuclear arsenal because of the utter devastation these weapons can inflict on humanity† (p 147). McNamara also states that â€Å"By intensifying its efforts in sustaining, modernizing, and improving its nuclear stockpile while refusing to ratify the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, the United States sends a message that it is not serious about nuclear non-proliferation† (p 147). In order for complete nuclear disarmament, all cards must be playing the same game. Kenneth Waltz is one of few advocators in favor of nuclear weapons, but he does have a solid argument. Leading scholars of international relations and policymakers share in the belief that the sheer destructiveness of nuclear weapons prevents them from being used by friends and foes alike. The deterrent effect of nuclear weapons is rooted in their possession rather than in their use. Waltz argues that â€Å"Nuclear weapons make states cautious and less likely to engage in reckless behavior† (p 156). He also states that â€Å"While the enormous destructiveness of nuclear weapons makes them excellent weapons for defensive purposes-the weapons have no offensive rationale† (p 155). Though Waltz does not advocate widespread nuclear armament, he does submit that nuclear weapons are great contributors to stability in the international system. After reading and analyzing the arguments of both authors, I take my stance with McNamara and his view toward eliminating nuclear weapons. Recently in an article on NY Times, the US and Russia agreed on a nuclear disarmament treaty that shows progress in eliminating nuclear weapons by dismantling the two biggest stockpiles of nuclear weapons in the modern world. This, I believe, is just the beginning of the end for nuclear weapons around the world which would keep humanity much safer and hopefully create long lasting peace.

How HIPAA Violations Affect the Medical Billing Process Essay

When you hear HIV you always think of Aids are they the same or is there a difference. HIPAA Privacy Rule: HIPAA is a federal law that: †¢Protects the patients’ privacy with their medical records and other health information provided to health plans, hospital, doctors and all other health care providers. †¢Allows the patient access to their medical records. †¢It gives the patient rights to how their personal information is used and exposed. HIPAA has proven to be very successful in stopping discrimination against the people diagnosed with HIV and Aids by preventing anyone from knowing about their HIV and Aids status. In the year 2000 laboratories and doctors are required by law to report to their State Health Department all cases of HIV and Aids. They are reported to better measure the HIV and Aids epidemic, and how it is changing and to create programs for HIV and Aids prevention and offer medical which best serve affected people and their communities. All this information is protected by confidentiality laws. Under this law identifying information regarding who has HIV and Aids can only be used to help the State Health Department track the epidemic and for partner notification this information cannot be shared with immigration and naturalization Service (INS), police, welfare agencies, landlords, employers and insurance companies. The National Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issues guidelines influencing states to collect and report the data on HIV and Aids so they can track the epidemic on a national basis. The state health department will then remove all the personal information (name, address, etc.) from your test results and send the information to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Over the next several years HIV and Aids data will become the basis for funding formulas which will allocate federal money for care & treatment under The Ryan White Comprehensive AIDS Resources Emergency (CARE) Act.  This is the largest federally funded program in the United States for people living with HIV and AIDS. This act reaches hundreds of thousands of people every year with medical care, drugs, and support services. The program requires that health departments receiving money from the Ryan White program show â€Å"good faith† efforts to notify the marriage partners of a patient with HIV and AIDS. (www.Aids.gov) HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) is a virus that attacks the T-cells in the immune system. This illness changes their immune system making people very vulnerable to diseases and infections. This condition worsens as it progresses corresponding to research the origins to this disease dates back to the late 19th or early 20th century in Western Central Africa. In 2008 worldwide there were †¢33.4 million People living with HIV and AIDS. †¢2.7 new HIV infections †¢2 million deaths from AIDS The disease was identified in the 1980s, and there is now known cure, but treatments and medicine can slow the course of the disease. The newest drug combination drug therapy can cost up to $20,000 in U.S. dollars a year. HIV is found in body fluids like semen and vaginal fluids, blood and breast mild. And can be passed through blood-to-blood and also sexual contact. Women can pass this to their babies through pregnancy, childbirth, and through breast milk. AIDS is (acquired immune deficiency syndrome or immunodeficiency syndrome). AIDS is the disease caused by the HIV virus AIDS is the syndrome that appear in the advance stages of HIV infection, AIDS is a medical condition derived from HIV. HIV and AIDS are the same AIDS is the outdated name and HIV is the correct name. There are three recognized ethical principles that apply to clinical and research ethics: †¢Respect refers to respecting the decisions of autonomous people and protecting the ones who lack decision making capacity and therefore are not autonomous and imposes a positive obligation to treat people with respect by keeping this information confident and keeping promises. †¢Beneficence imposes a positive obligation of the best interest of the patient. †¢Justice requires people to be treated fairly and often requires that benefits and burdens to be distributed fairly within society. Privacy is critical  when it comes to HIV and AIDS, because of the sensitivity of HIV related information most patients don’t want to share this private and personal aspect of their life because it involves their sexual behavior or substance abuse. This information can lead to stigmatization this can cause patients to worry about their privacy being protected, and they may be hesitant to see a doctor or remain in the care of a physician. It is vital to have health care providers express that they are committed to securing patient privacy. The law gives certain protection to or conditions. Electronic systems need to be able to identify and manage this data appropriately. HIV and AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases are a whole different category with special privacy concerns. When releasing HIV and AIDS records for other purposes it is necessary to identify testing and treatment for these conditions through the use of red flags or warning messages. The electronic system simplifies exclusion or segregation of HIV test results to protect against release without patients proper consent from the patient. Preferably a system will also flag treatment of HIV and Aids when producing copies of records. EHR systems must provide mechanisms that enable facilities that extra layer of protection for this information required under 42 CFR, Part 2 requires patient consent for disclosures of protected health information even for the purpose of treatment this consent must be in writing. When a health care provider providers care to an HIV and AIDS patient they seem to be walking and ethical tightrope even when they are aware of protocol about disclosing HIV status simple assumptions and carelessness can lead to devastating consequences for the patient and also legal ramifications. There are some things a health care worker can do on their own to protect private information while at work. †¢Turn off your computer when you walk away or not in use. †¢Set your computer with passwords to get access to confidential files. †¢Use a system that will trace who accesses confidential informatio n. †¢Become familiar with the law train employees in proper disclosure protocol. †¢Never discusses a patients HIV and AIDS status. Social ramifications exist if HIV and AIDS information is announced improperly. If a patients friends discover he or she has HIV and AIDS they won’t want to be around them due to the fear of catching the disease people  will start to gossip spreading this private information destructing the life of the infected person. They will undoubtedly be treated differently. He or she could have difficulty finding employment if the employer finds out about the disease because of inappropriate disclosure of medical information. If a person is living with HIV and Aids you are protected against discrimination under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation act of 1973 and Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA). Under these laws, discrimination means that you are not allowed to participate in a service that is offered to others or you are denied a benefit, because of your HIV disease. ( http://aids.gov/hiv-aids-basics/just-diagnosed-with-hiv-aids/your-legal-rights/civil-rights/index.html ) HIV and AIDS in the workplace gets larger each year, because it affects people between ages 25 – 44 and they make up 50% of our 121% million workers. There are laws to protect people with HIV and AIDS in the workplace. †¢Americans with Disabilities act of 1990 (ADA) does not allow employment discrimination because of disability and covers businesses with 15 or more employees. †¢Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Federal and state governments work with more than 100 million working men and women and 6.5 million employers. †¢The Family Medical Leave Act of 1993 (FMLA) this act to the private-sector of employers of 50 or more employees and within a 75 mile radius of their worksite. A person is entitled to a total of 12 weeks of job protected unpaid leave in a 12 month period. †¢The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA). Addresses obstacles to healthcare you can face if you are HIV and AIDs positive. Protecting you discriminatory treatment from your insurance company, and also protects your privacy rights. †¢The Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation act of 1986 (COBRA). This law allows employees the option to keep their health insurance at their own expense after getting laid off, fired from a job. Allowing them to purchase health insurance for a period up to 36 months. HIV and AIDS not only hurt people with the disease but also their families and families. According to the International Labor Organization believes that by the year 2020 HIV and AIDS will lower the workforce by 24 million people. This will cost the workforce higher costs of medical insurance as well as work absences related to health, hiring and costs of retraining.

Gabriela, Clove and Cinnamon essays

Gabriela, Clove and Cinnamon essays Summary: Gabriela, Clove and Cinnamon Gabriela, Clove and Cinnamon by Jorge Amado is set in Brazil in the port town of Ilheus during the 1920s. At the beginning of the novel, Ilheus is experiencing a terrible rainfall that threatens the prized cacao crop, on which the town depends for its survival. Through a miracle, the rains cease, and the people believe they are blessed-but really their troubles are only beginning. The religious people of the land are ruled by the irreligious, domineering colonels who dispense much-needed funds to enable the churches and schools to function. The colonels can do no wrong and nothing these strong-armed men do is questioned. For example, one of the cornels named Colonel Mendonà §a is so corrupt that he believes he is entirely above the law, and is surprised when he is put on trial for the murder of his wife when he finds her with a lover, and kills both the man and the woman in his fury. He, along with the other cornels and wealthy cacao baron plantation owners have all of the money a nd power in the land, the people only have religion. The romantic plot of the novel revolves the story of a migrant worker of mixed race named Gabriela and a Syrian caf owner named Nacib. Hence the name of the book-Gabriela cooks food filled with sweet spices at the local caf. Gabriela, after she washes off the dirt and grime of her poverty, reveals herself to be a great beauty and a great chef. Her skin smells like the cloves and cinnamon of her dishes. Although she is not educated in cuisine or in life, she knows how to prepare traditional Bahian dishes and soon the caf becomes popular again which makes Nacib a happy man for awhile. However, gradually be becomes tormented with thoughts of jealousy. He wants not simply to love Gabriela but to possess her, and this is far more difficult than making a perfect dish. The political plot of the novel, which is interwoven with the roma...

When the Professor doesn’t show up Professor Ramos Blog

When the Professor doesn’t show up

Teach Skills for Content Reading With Developmental Reading

Teach Skills for Content Reading With Developmental Reading Developmental Reading is the name given to a branch of reading instruction designed to support students in content area classes, such as  social studies, history, and the sciences. Developmental reading programs teach students strategies for engaging content texts, such as textbooks, articles, and resource books that they will encounter in high school and beyond, in higher education settings.   Developmental reading does not address basic reading skills, such as phonemic awareness,  decoding, and vocabulary.   Many community colleges offer developmental reading courses to help students who are not really prepared for the rigors of college-level courses, especially technical textbooks. Strategies for Success in Developmental Reading Often students with disabilities are so overwhelmed by the amount of text they see in their content (social studies, biology, political science, health) classes that they will sometimes just shut down without even looking for information they need.  Their typical peers may never actually read a text since they can often use text features to find the information they need.  Teaching students, especially students with a history of difficulty with text, how to use text features will give them a sense of command over the text and help them read strategically as part of test preparation and study skills. Text Features Helping students recognize and learn to use text features is a foundational part of developmental reading.  Teach students to first scan the text, reading captions and titles and subtitles, and they will be better able to understand and remember the content of the text.   Illustrations:  the pictures, of course.  Photographs: yes, they are photographs rather than illustrations.Maps:  often to be found in social studies texts, and can typically be pivotal to understanding content.Captions:  found under illustrations, photographs, and maps, captions usually label what the student sees, often offering import information for unlocking the meaning.Titles:  tells specifically what the author intends you to find in the chapter or article.Subtitles.  the subtitles show how the author organized the information and can help students find the specific information they need.Index:  in the back. Very important to know how to use it.Glossary:  often word (new content-specific vocabulary,) will be boldfaced in the text, and students need to know that the glossary has a definition. Prediction Getting students to prepare for approaching a text is an important part of success in reading.  SQ3R  was the standard for many years:  Scan, Question, Read, Recite and Review.  In other words, scanning (using text features) was to lead to questions:  What do I know?  What do I want to know?  What do I expect to learn?  Yes, that is prediction!

Why are the words of the blues so important Essay

Why are the words of the blues so important - Essay Example Blues are normally characteristic of songs that convey the deep struggles of the black people in several aspects of life, particularly the ones that occur to reflect the bitter past on account of their historical and racial conflicts during the times of the Civil War and the War on Independence prior. Through world history, it has become widely known that blacks had a significant number of excruciating encounters of slavery, social injustice, sex and labor abuse, as well as other forms of oppression, being treated as an inferior race and all these, apparently, constitute the lyrical blues quite specific to them. On this ground, the words of the blues acquire profound essence as they collectively embody the nature and identity of the blacks in association to their ordeals, sufferings, adventures, and indifference to the superior race through times. As a concrete instance, when Bill Lucas sings â€Å"I’m just a poor boy; people, I can’t even write my name / Every letter in the alphabet to me they look the same †¦ I just been a poor boy; ain’t caught nothing but hell†, he sings to the true beat of black rhythm that speaks of poverty and lack of academic opportunity due to color discrimination, affecting many black communities including his family whose main wage source comes from farming. 2. Why were work songs important to the slaves and later to African Americans who worked in the fields? Look at the lyrics of Rosie. What do these lyrics say about the African American culture of the time? (6 points) Based on J.T. Titon’s findings, â€Å"the song ‘Rosie’ was used to regulate the axe blows when the workers were felling large trees .. Without work songs, the white and Latino inmates chopped two to a tree – With work songs, the black inmates chopped four, six, eight, or ten to a tree.† This scenario illustrates how the prison workers derive inspiration to do heavy work or duty efficiently through wor k songs. In the song ‘Rosie’, the lines â€Å"Be my woman, gal, I’ll be your man †¦ When she walks she reels and rocks behind† indicate the fondness of African American culture on love and romance, especially the manner in which men express intense devotion to the women they love so that romantic themes in work songs enhance the motivating effect of rhythms. Similarly, in the past, black slaves and African Americans of the later age had sung work songs for the positive influence these songs create on their attitude, becoming disposed to higher level of productivity at work and gaining more sense of solidarity and fulfilment as music brought workmates together toward warm companionship in order to drive away anxieties and accomplish larger amount of tasks. 3. What roles does music play in the religious service described in the first part of the chapter in your text? What is the Deacon’s Devotional? What is whooping? How is this type of religious service connected to African rituals we’ve looked at? (8 points) In the religious service music, as music of worship, functions as a powerful element of devotion and a means to grow further in spiritual faith and loyalty to the church as such music guides and moves the people of the church to solemn thoughts and positive energy levels by which to expel the daily troubles of life. Black churches normally possess the most compelling music of worship out of â€Å"modern gospel quartets, powerful massed choirs, and soloists† whose enthusiastic and emotional singing performance may be observed as highly

The Gaming and Console Industry Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

The Gaming and Console Industry - Essay Example Among the notable improvements in the computer world that attribute their success to the gaming industry, including sound cards, graphics cards, and 3D graphics accelerators. CD-ROM and DVD-ROM drives also base their invention in the gaming industry (Hooper 1991). Sony has been in the industry for a considerable number of years and has been the key provider of the video games with its PlayStation devices. Regardless of the increased competition, the industry’s future is still very promising as more people buy and use games. Sony has been in the industry for a long time, but its sales and revenue from the business has been declining considerably with time. This is due to various reasons, some of which the company has control over, while others it cannot control. As more people use games, more players come to the market, increasing competition. Changing customer tastes, substitution by other forms of games and environmental factors could be a reason for the decline in the perfor mance. However, despite this, the company is likely to remain in the business for a long time. Q 1 Porter’s five competitive forces Competitive rivalry Sony is operating in a very competitive industry, with many firms coming up with different forms of gaming. With the increase and technological revolution, many companies have started providing games via digital devices, for example, smartphones. Other companies have gone a step further to provide online streaming of games for their customers where people can play games online from the internet. Regardless of the stiff competition, the company is currently facing, Sony’s consoles are not about to be edged out of the market anytime soon due to increased innovation and inclusion of a variety of features if the recent launch of PlayStation 4 is anything to go by. Although prospects are high in the gaming business, expectations are that in future, the profits will keep on dwindling and the next generation of games will neve r rake even half of what the current is making. Stakes are high, risks have increased to the point that currently, Sony is struggling to command superiority in the same market that it had previously dominated. With increased uptake of technology, research, and experiments in the industry, more and more developments are coming to place.

Chronic Illness Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 1

Chronic Illness - Essay Example With the fact that this is a serious problem in mind, it is important to take a critical look at some of the specific trend details, with particular attention to demographics and the state-by-state basis. This owes to the fact that different demographics is affected differently and states have diverse localized approaches to dealing with t problem, such as community health programs. Another important element to address includes the interventions that have been put in place in dealing with the problem as well as ways in which national and local policy impacts health care of individuals with chronic illness. This paper seeks to illuminate, among others necessary, the aforementioned issues and concepts. The basic definition of a chronic illness is one that cannot be cured, but can be treated. There is a wide range of them, including diabetes, cancer, heart disease, dementia and different mental health problems among many others. One would add that there are various ways in which chronic illnesses can be prevented because they are preventable. Apart from prevention, they can be managed effectively using frequent exercise, improvements in diet, therapy, and early detection (Chang & Johnson, 2014). Chronic illnesses occur throughout one’s life cycle, aggravating in old age. It has been noted that, over the last one decade, chronic diseases have replaced infectious diseases to become the leading cause of death and disability in the United States. In addition, their prevalence has been on the rise. In a report that was presented in 2011, based on a primary research study, it was noted that chronic illnesses have not only increased among older adults but has also led to an increase in disability and impairment cases (Hung et al, 2011). This study established that chronic diseases are increasingly affecting adults between

Delta Airlines Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Delta Airlines - Essay Example By 1953, Delta Airlines had expanded into the Southeast and were now serving the citizens and the southern airlines (Fojt, 2006). It took time for them to expand to the Northeast but by the early 1970s, all this was implemented (Partsch & Wellens, 2009). In 1956, they installed radars in all their aircrafts and later launched the Convair 880 jet service in 1960. The most significant strategy that Delta Airline undertook was merging with the Western Air Lines in 1986 that was hubbed in Salt Lake City. For the reason that Delta Airline’s management treated their employees well, they enjoyed amicable relations regarding their labor and a number of union contracts. There was high productivity, high work morale and excellent service that kept customers coming back and sticking to their services. In 1996, the motivated workers made an effort and dug from their pockets to but the company a jet. In 1997, Delta airlines introduced the Boeing 777s and became the first to board more than a hundred million passengers in one year. More advancement was made in the next year when they lay the foundation to include the first international cargo alliance with Swiss Cargo. They also installed automatic defibrillators on all their aircrafts. In 2003, Delta airlines became the first airline in America to provide pre-recorded audio information regarding flights at the gate (Katel, 2008). In 2005, the company filed for reorganization that is provided under chapter eleven of the bankruptcy code of the United States. In the same year, they started more expansions with more routes to the Caribbean and Latin American routes. After the expansions, the management decided to go into Africa and first invested on the Southern African side with flights to Dakar and Johannesburg South Africa. They were able to reemerge from bankruptcy in 2007 after they defeated the takeover by the US Airways. Delta merged with

Values and Democracy (Politics) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Values and Democracy (Politics) - Essay Example Even though regular elections are, according to Beetham (1992), ‘a continuous discipline on the elected to take constant notice of public opinion’ (ibid, p. 47), the dictate that politicians take pleasure from is the fact that citizens have very little influence on political decisions made in their behalf. The core argument of this essay is that in order to justify the diversity of environmental values and the dedication of citizens, the process of decision making should be to improve and endorse democratic participation. In order to do this, this essay will compare and contrast the relationship of environmental values and democracy in four countries, namely, The United States, Great Britain, Russia, and China: the former two countries being highly democratic while the latter two being less democratic. As reported by the Brundtland Commission, an environmental right should state that â€Å"all human beings have the fundamental right to an environment adequate for their health and well being† (Smith 2003, 104). ... 216). Democracy should be concerned with the composition of the constitution, since the effect of rights is experienced all over the legal, political, and moral areas. Several theories have been used for establishing environmental values (Carrow et al. 1998). Eckersley (1996) sums up the environmental challenge to democratic ideas of rights by saying that the democratic explanation of the moral interest of protection and independence from control needs consideration of the physical situations of its use. As argued by Eckersley (1996), â€Å"we must accord the same moral priority to the material conditions (including bodily and ecological conditions) that enable that autonomy to be exercised† (ibid, p. 223). Environmental values, however, conflicts with the democracy. Yet, the statements above show that ecological values and particular democratic rights are in fact connected. As stated by Saward (1996), â€Å"Rather than being something outside the purview of democratic theory , core environmental concerns are part of it† (ibid, p. 88). The following section will show the connection (or conflict) between environmental values and democracy in four countries, the US, the UK, China, and Russia. Environmental Values and Democracy If one looks at the political guidelines for the environment of the US and the UK, which are highly democratic societies, a particular problem appears as the clearest feature of the political practices, which is shown in their regulations. The problem has its source in knowledge of democracy that respects the involvement of citizens in decision making process to be a must. As shown by this idea, citizens should be given the right to express his/her opinion of and interest

Are you a Collaborative Leader Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Are you a Collaborative Leader - Article Example According to the research findings, it can, therefore, be said that there are diverse learning takeaways that include acknowledging that there are four skills areas that collaborative leaders manifest, to wit: â€Å"playing the role of connector, attracting diverse talent, modeling collaboration at the top, and showing a strong hand to keep teams from getting mired in debate†. Likewise, the authors presented the kinds of results that collaborative leaders generate. In sum, these results center on: (1) making global connections; (2) engaging and harnessing diverse talents; (3) pioneering collaborative efforts at an apex of the organizational hierarchy; and (4) taking control in decision-making. It was likewise differentiated in the article the distinguishing features of the three leadership styles: command and control, consensus, and collaborative through expounding on their disparities in organizational structure, access to information, final authority for decision-making, bas is for accountability and control, and applicability. Through the experiences shared by executive officers such as Marc Benioff, CEO of Saleforce.com; David Kenny, President of Akamai Technologies; Beth Comstock, Chief Marketing Officer of General Electric; Bart Bechtm, soon to retire CEO of Reckitt Benckiser; Vineet Nayar, CEO of India’s HCL; and Natura Cosmà ©ticos’s CEO Alessandro Carlucci; have all attested to the remarkable and significant positive transformation accorded with a collaborative leadership style. The authors’ aptly concluded that this particular leadership style is most applicable given the contemporary global setting and emphasized that â€Å"the world has become One firmly believes that there are immense strength and power to that a collaborative leadership style could accord people in organizations.

Values and Democracy (Politics) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Values and Democracy (Politics) - Essay Example Even though regular elections are, according to Beetham (1992), ‘a continuous discipline on the elected to take constant notice of public opinion’ (ibid, p. 47), the dictate that politicians take pleasure from is the fact that citizens have very little influence on political decisions made in their behalf. The core argument of this essay is that in order to justify the diversity of environmental values and the dedication of citizens, the process of decision making should be to improve and endorse democratic participation. In order to do this, this essay will compare and contrast the relationship of environmental values and democracy in four countries, namely, The United States, Great Britain, Russia, and China: the former two countries being highly democratic while the latter two being less democratic. As reported by the Brundtland Commission, an environmental right should state that â€Å"all human beings have the fundamental right to an environment adequate for their health and well being† (Smith 2003, 104). ... 216). Democracy should be concerned with the composition of the constitution, since the effect of rights is experienced all over the legal, political, and moral areas. Several theories have been used for establishing environmental values (Carrow et al. 1998). Eckersley (1996) sums up the environmental challenge to democratic ideas of rights by saying that the democratic explanation of the moral interest of protection and independence from control needs consideration of the physical situations of its use. As argued by Eckersley (1996), â€Å"we must accord the same moral priority to the material conditions (including bodily and ecological conditions) that enable that autonomy to be exercised† (ibid, p. 223). Environmental values, however, conflicts with the democracy. Yet, the statements above show that ecological values and particular democratic rights are in fact connected. As stated by Saward (1996), â€Å"Rather than being something outside the purview of democratic theory , core environmental concerns are part of it† (ibid, p. 88). The following section will show the connection (or conflict) between environmental values and democracy in four countries, the US, the UK, China, and Russia. Environmental Values and Democracy If one looks at the political guidelines for the environment of the US and the UK, which are highly democratic societies, a particular problem appears as the clearest feature of the political practices, which is shown in their regulations. The problem has its source in knowledge of democracy that respects the involvement of citizens in decision making process to be a must. As shown by this idea, citizens should be given the right to express his/her opinion of and interest

Democratic ticket Essay Example for Free

Democratic ticket Essay Alvin Greene’s win was as a result of good, hard work. The models of voting used favored him. Research on models of voting shows that a candidate should be smart and sharp during campaigns. Models used by voters influence voting choice. Some of these models include Ballot Position Effect also known as Name Order Effect, Mere Exposure Effect, Name Letter Effect and No Information Voting. Use of research papers such as, Who is Alvin Greene by Mark, Greene on the Issues by Buster Brown, among others listed on the reference list shows the different types of models of voting. Questions asking advantages of using one or more or more models, limitation of each model, strengths and weaknesses of one model to another have been researched. The conclusion of this research shows ways which influence the behavior of voters. It summarizes the effects of different models applied and the effect they have on a candidate. Alvin Greene, an unemployed army veteran, is the winning candidate using the Democratic ticket. He has surprised analysts, pundits, and academics by winning with more than 58 percent of the votes. However victory was not a surprise for him because he worked hard and therefore earned it. His campaigns were simple; he traveled with friends, friends of friends and family members. He did not have any campaign website; neither did he put out signs nor fliers. Alvin’s victory was as a result of good, hard work. The phrase Get South Carolina Back to Work which was his campaign slogan had been acquired through Greene being motivated to run for one of South Carolina’s two senate seats to help Get South Carolina Back to Work. He had his priorities straight which included; focusing on jobs, education and Justice in the judicial system. These issues helped him rally against his running mate DeMint (Robert, Para. 5). Greene’s winning had benefited from unusual circumstances. One of them was his name appearing first in Alphabetical order on a ballot for U. S senate. This effect is called the Ballot Position Effect or Name Order. The candidate being listed first increases his or her performance by 2. 5 points as the average. This has primacy effect and affects a person psychologically in that people making a choice from a visual list considers top as best choice (Valerie, Para. 6). Secondly, Greene was able to win as a result of Mere Exposure Effect. In this type of model of voting, it is believed that the more a person is exposed to a certain stimulus, the more he or she is inclined to liking it. In this case Greene is a more common type of word compared to Rawl. Another type of model of voting is Name Letter Effect. This model holds that people prefer names that share their own initials. No Information Voting is also a type of model used to vote in USA. This is where voting is done with the voters having less or no information about the subject. In this case, the name order effect rises as voters get down the ballot to a candidate they know little about. Models of voting influence vote choice. Choice voting, a form of proportional representation is widely used by world’s established democracies. It gives political parties and candidates an assurance to gain the percentage of legislative seats reflecting their support by the public. Choice voting is a form of limited voting where voters maximize their ballot. Every model of voting has its advantages which affect vote choice. The Name Order Effect favors the candidate who appears first on the ballot. This is because the person voting might have no information about candidates on the ballot, therefore will go for the candidate appearing first with the assumption first is best. Secondly, Mere Exposure Effect gives the candidate who is more exposed to a certain stimulus an advantage and a higher chance of being voted. For example if it is the name, Greene and Rawl, Greene is a more common word, and voters are inclined to liking it. Other voters will use the No Information Voting type of model which will be an advantage to the candidate appearing first in the ballot. This is because voters will again tend to think that first is always the best and will vote for the person who appears first on the ballot. The voters have less or no information about the candidate and they will assume that if they vote the first one, chances are the person is the best (Mark, Para. 4). However, these models of voting may have limitations. A model may favor one candidate but be a shortcoming to other candidates on the ballot. When candidates use Ballot Position Effect, the candidates who appear at the bottom of the ballot will have less chances of winning the elections compared to the candidate appearing first. Similarly if voters use the No Information Voting type of model voting, voters will assume that the first is most likely the best causing the candidates who appear at the bottom of the ballot less likely to win. Sometimes, voters will use Mere Exposure Effect as their voting choice. This type of model of voting will give the candidate with a less exposed stimulus less chances of being voted in. If there is a candidate whose name is more exposed compared to other candidates’ names then that type of voting model will be a limitation to the candidates. Similarly, if the candidates use the Name Letter Effect when voting, a candidate with names that share initials with that of the voter will have a higher chance of being voted in compared to the candidate whose initials do not match with those of the person voting (Can Anyone Explain How Alvin Greene Actually Won Para. 1). When compared, all these types of voting models are related to one another. They can either be related through their strengths or weaknesses. Each one of them has their own strengths or weaknesses. Ballot Exposure Effect also known as Name Order Effect is related to No Information Effect in both strengths and weaknesses. Due to a voter having no information about the subject, the person can opt to vote for the candidate who appears first on the ballot. This is strength to the candidate appearing first on the ballot paper. On the other hand, it can still be a weakness because the person appearing last on the ballot might be the best candidate but loses because the name appears last. There is also a relation between Mere Exposure Effect and Name Letter Effect. When the name of the voter and that of the candidate match, then automatically their initials match. Voters using these types of model voting will relate their names and that of the candidate with a certain stimulus which they are exposed to in relation to the matching of their initials. In some cases, a candidate can be favored by majority of the model of voting, whereby a candidate appears first on the ballot, is exposed to a certain stimulus and the voters have no or less information about the candidates. Here the three types of model voting will be related to the candidate being voted or not being voted (Buster, Para. 3). CONCLUSION Models of voting being the behavior in which people vote can be influenced psychologically, socially or economically. As a candidate it is important to know about the people and their expectations during campaigns. Different types of voting affect vote choice in different ways. As a candidate, it is wise to make one known to the voters. This way, voters are able to avoid No Information Voting which leads to Name Order Effect. It is also advisable for candidates to address key issues which affect the people. This way a candidate is able to let the people be conversant with him or her. Reference List Buster Brown. Alvin Greene on the issues:Candidate gets beyond the headlines. Available at:http://www. charlestoncitypaper. com/charleston/alvin-greene-on-the-issues/Content? oid=2121463 Can Anyone Explain How Alvin Greene Actually Won? Available at:http://www. newsweek. com/2010/06/17/can-anyone-explain-how-alvin-greene-actually-won. html Mark Leibovich. Who’s Alvin Greene? State Asks After Vote. Available at:http://www. nytimes. com/2010/06/12/us/politics/12greene. html? _r=1src=mv Robert J. Baker. Local Dems had never met Greene Available at;http://www. theitem. com/news/local_news/article_0524b36c-ec80-5eba-882f-713558543451. html Valerie Bauerlein. Puzzle Roils South Carolina Contest. Available at:http://www. marioguerrero. info/ps151/wsjarticle. html

Application of Non-ionising Radiation Based Enzyme

Application of Non-ionising Radiation Based Enzyme APPLICATION OF NON-IONISING RADIATION BASED ENZYME INACTIVATION OF BITTER GOURD (Mordica charania L.): A COMPARATIVE STUDY Nalawade S. A, Akanksha, H.Umesh Hebbar Introduction Although many processing technologies could be used to extend the shelf life of fruits and vegetables, the commonly used ones in current food industry are blanching and dehydration. Blanching is a pre-processing operation carried out before drying of fruits and vegetables. The main purpose of blanching is to inactivate enzymes such as peroxidase, polyphenoloxidases and phenolase which cause many adverse changes of a product (Fellows, 1990; Hiranvarachat, Devahastin, Chiewchan, 2011; Vishwanathan, Giwari, Hebbar, 2013). Conventional blanching involves processing with hotwater, steamand acid. The conventional blanching has many drawbacks such as loss of water soluble nutrients (Lavelli, Zanoni, Zaniboni, 2007), quality deterioration (Gornicki Kaleta, 2007) and environmental problems (Bomben, 1977). Bitter gourd is known for its medicinal properties and has been used in various Asian and African herbal medicine systems from a long time Grover and Yadav (2004), Beloin et al., (2005), Ananya Paul and Sarmistha Sen Raychaudhuri (2010). It has antidiabetic, antitumorous, anticancer, anti-inflammatory, antiviral, and cholesterol lowering capacity Ahmed et al., (2001), Grover and Yadav (2004) and Taylor (2002).The compound responsible for anti-diabetic property in bitter gourd is Charantin, a hypoglycemic compound which is a mixture of two compounds (1:1) sitosteryl glucoside (C35H60O6) and stigmasteryl glucoside (C35H58O6) that has been isolated from the seeds, leaves and fruit of Momordica charantia (Raman and Lau, 1996). Storage of raw bitter gourd is difficult because of presence of some enzymes which deteriorate the product quality. Hence, Blanching is carried out before drying operation. Primary purpose of blanching is to inactivate enzymes such as Peroxidase (POD), Polyphenol oxidase (PPO) allowing stabilization and minimize the degradation of other quality attributes (Canet, 1989). Peroxide (POD) is considered as enzymatic indicator for blanching (Gunes and Bayindirli, 1993, Sheu and Chen, 1991 and Zhu and Pan, 2009) which is one of the most heat resistant enzymes, therefore when POD is inactivated most of other enzymes present might not survive (Halpin Lee, 1987). 90% reduction in POD activity was considered as the end point, since persistence of 3-10% is considered sufficient for drying purpose (Gunes and Bayindirli, 1993). Conventional blanching method includes processing the sample with hot water and steam. The advantages of electromagnetic radiation (MW and IR) employed blanching over conventional blanching methods (water or steam) are rapid inactivation of enzyme complexes that cause quality degradation and minimal/no leaching of vitamins, flavor, pigments, carbohydrates and other water soluble components (De Ancos et al. 1999).These methods have drawbacks such as quality deterioration (Gornicki Kaleta, 2007) and loss of water soluble nutrients (Lavelli, Zanoni, Zaniboni, 2007). The application of microwave radiation for blanc hing or enzyme inactivation (Ramaswamy and Fakhouri, 1998; Ponne, Baysal, Yuksel, 1994; Begum and Brewer, 2001; Brewer and Begum, 2003; Roberts et al., 2004; Lin and Brewer, 2005; Zhu Pan, 2009; Lin and Ramaswamy, 2011; G.C. Jeevitha et.al ,2013 ;Vishwanathan et al., 2013 ) showing its effectiveness and suitability. From the results of Ramaswamy and Fakhouri (1998), Ramesh et al. (2002), G.C. Jeevitha et.al ,2013 and Bengang Wu et al.,2014 it is possible to observe that vegetable tissue blanched with microwave and infrared radiation retained better nutritional value. G.C. Jeevitha et.al,2013 reported better retention of water-soluble nutrients during dry blanching of red bell pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) slices using infrared (IR) and microwave (MW) radiations and its performance compared with conventional methods. There are a few reports on MW blanching (Chung et al. 1981; Ramesh et al. 2002; Brewer and Begum 2003) and IR blanching (Ponne et al. 1994) indicating their benefits in terms of nutrient retention over steam or water blanching. The objectives of present study were to: evaluate kinetics of Bitter gourd peroxidase (POD) polyphenol oxidase (PPO) inactivation and determine adequacy of both conventional (water and steam) and Dry blanching (IR and MW); to evaluate effect on product quality in terms of moisture, ascorbic acid, chlorophyll and charantin. Materials and Methods Bitter gourd dark green (moisture content 92  ± 1.2%w.b) were purchased from a local market. All the fruits were washed with running water under tap to remove adhering dust and reduce the surface micro-flora and stored at 4  ± 1 °C until further use. The bitter gourd fruits were procured from a single source and almost the same degree of maturity was maintained in order to minimize variation in raw material quality. Sample preparation Bitter gourd fruits were washed thoroughly with tap water and sliced using Robot coupe slicer of dimension 5 mm. seeds were removed manually and used for the study. Blanching Systems Water Blanching Bitter gourd slices (100 g) were immersed in hot water (1:3) maintained at 90  ± 2 °C for 2 min. The blanched samples were immediately cooled to room temperature (25 °C) by dipping in water for 5 min. Surface excess moisture of slices was removed using filter paper and subjected for analysis. Steam Blanching Bitter gourd slices (30 g) were subjected to steam blanching by exposing the slices to steam in an autoclave (100C and 1atm) for 3 min. The steam blanched Bitter gourd slices were immediately cooled to room temperature by dipping in water for 5 min. Samples was subjected for analysis after removing the surface moisture. IR Blanching. About 100 g of bitter gourd slices spread uniformly on the stainless steel (AISI 304) conveyor of IR heater developed (Hebbar and Ramesh 2006) at the authors institute and exposed to IR radiation at a chamber air temperature 200 °C for 8 min. The IR heater, fitted with near IR heat sources (1.1 THz; 0.26 kW/m2) on top and bottom sides of the wire mesh conveyor, was used for the study. IR heat was applied intermittently to control blanching temperature. The chamber was preheated to the required temperature before blanching. The blanched slices were cooled rapidly to room temperature by blowing air. MW Blanching MW blanching was carried out in a domestic microwave oven (BPL, 2,450 MHz) at an intensity of 5.57, 7.36 and 8.8 W/g. For all the runs, the position of the bitter gourd slices were maintained the same on the turntable to minimize variation. Crude extract preparation Slices were homogenized with 0.1 M sodium phosphate buffer of pH 7 in the ratio of 1:3. Homogenate was filtered through muslin cloth and centrifuged at 5,100 g for 20 min at 4 ° C. Supernatant was collected and used for the assay. Enzyme analysis. POD Assay The substrate solution was composed of 1.0 mL of phosphate buffer of pH 6, 1.0 mL of 15 mM guaiacol and 1 mL of 3 mM H2O2. To the substrate solution, 50  µL of enzymatic extract were added and the increase in OD was recorded at 470 nm for 5 min using ultraviolet (UV) visible spectrophotometer (UV- 160A, Shimadzu, Japan). Enzyme activity was determined from the slope of the linear portion of the graph relating absorbance with time and expressed as ΔAbs470/min.g sample (Fujita et al. 1997). PPO Assay A spectrophotometric assay at 411 nm using 0.1 M catechol as substrate was used to quantify PPO activity (Weemaes et al. 1997). Moisture content Moisture content of raw and blanched bitter gourd was analyzed using the AOAC method. Values reported are the average of triplicate determinations Estimation of Ascorbic acid The ascorbic acid was determined by 2,6-dichlorophenol- indophenol visual titration methods,(Ranganna 1986) given as follows: Standardization of dye Ascorbic acid (100 mg of l-ascorbic acid) was dissolved in 3% HPO3 and volume made up to 100mL. Further, 10 ml of this solution was diluted to 100mL with HPO3. From this, 5mL was transferred to Erlenmeyer flasks containing 5mL of metaphosphoric acid (3%). A burette was filled with the dye, prepared from dissolution of 50 mg of the sodium salt of 2, 6-dichlorophenol in hot distilled water (150 mL) containing 42 mg of NaHCO3, which was made up to 200mL with distilled water. Then, the ascorbic acid solution was titrated against the standard indophenol solution to a rose pink color, which persisted for around 15 s. The dye factor was determined as milligram of ascorbic acid per milliliter of the dye, using the formula: Sample preparation and assay, the sample (10 g) was macerated with metaphosphoric acid (3%) in a pestle and mortar, filtered, and made up to 100 ml. The filtrate (5 mL) was taken and titrated against the standard dye to a pink end point, which persisted for at least 15 s. The vitamin C content was calculated as: Percentage retention of ascorbic acid was calculated by, Where A= amount of ascorbic acid present after processing A0= amount of ascorbic acid present in fresh bitter gourd Both values taken dry basis Estimation of Chlorophyll Estimation of chlorophyll was carried out according to the procedure of Ranganna.[25] bitter gourd slices (1 g) were macerated with 80% acetone in a pestle and mortar. The supernatant layer was decanted and the extraction was repeated until the residue was colorless. Then the extracts were pooled, filtered, and made up to 100mL in a volumetric flask. The absorbance measured at 645nm and 663nm using spectrophotometer (Schemadzu UV-1800) The amount of chlorophyll present in the extract mg chlorophyll per g tissue was calculated using the following equation Where, A=absorbance at specific wavelength V= final volume of chlorophyll extracted in 80% acetone W= weight of tissue extracted The results were expressed as % on dry basis. Percentage retention of ascorbic acid was calculated by, Where A= amount of chlorophyll present after processing A0= amount of chlorophyll present in fresh bitter gourd Both values taken dry basis Estimation of Charantin Soxhlet extraction About 1.0 g of bitter melon fruit powder was extracted with 200 ml of ethanol for 150 min. Charantin remained in the sample residue was extracted repeatedly in 30 ml volumes of methanol using ultrasonication. The extract was filtered and evaporated to obtain viscous crude extract and purified prior to the analysis with HPLC. Sample purification To purify the crude extract, the protocol as described in Chanchai (2002) was carried out. Briefly, 5 ml of 50:50 (v/v) methanol–water was added to the crude extract. The mixture was then sonicated for 15 min and centrifuged at 3500 rpm for 15 min to separate the supernatant from the precipitate. The precipitate was then added with 5 ml of 70:30 (v/v) methanol–water, and the mixture was again sonicated and centrifuged. The precipitate from this step was added with 3 ml of hexane, and the step was repeated. The precipitate from this step was re-dissolved in 200  µl of 1:1 (v/v) chloroform–methanol mixture, and then adjusted to volume with methanol to 2 ml volume for that obtained with Soxhlet extraction. The purified solution was filtered through a 0.45 µm nylon membrane filter (Millipore, USA) before being analyzed by an HPLC. Analysis HPLC analysis was carried out for the quantification of Charantin present in the sample with C-18 Ascentis column (5 µm particle, 4.6 mm Ãâ€" 250mm ID). The mobile phase used was 100:2 (v/v) methanol-water and flow rate was maintained at 1mL/min. The UV detector was set at the wavelength of 204nm and the sample injection volume was 20 µL. Percentage retention of charantin was calculated by, Where A= amount of charantin present after processing A0= amount of charantin present in fresh bitter gourd Both values taken dry basis Kinetics of enzyme inactivation The reaction rate constant was determined using first order equation Where A is the peroxidase or polyphenol oxidase activity at time t; A0 is the initial enzyme activity; t is the blanching time (s); k is the reaction rate constant (s-1) at given temperature. Decimal reduction time (D) of enzyme is the time required for one log10 reduction in activity of the enzyme (Cigdem and Zerrin 2005), was determined using the following equation: RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Enzyme Inactivation The activity of POD and PPO in fresh samples were found POD 4Ãâ€"103 U/g and PPO- 322 U/g (fresh weight), respectively. The blanching was continued till the POD activity was reduced to 10% of the initial activity. The slices were blanched in water maintained at 95 °C (fig. a) and exposed to steam (fig. b) for different time intervals (15 to 180 sec). The time taken for water and steam blanching was 120 and 180 sec, respectively. The inactivation of PPO was also significant during this period. The bitter gourd slices were blanched using IR radiation at 200 °C chamber temperature for different time intervals. The time required for blanching was 8 min (fig. c). PPO inactivation trend was similar to that of POD, with marginally quicker inactivation. The initial content of ascorbic acid was 666.7 ± 2.3 mg ascorbic acid/100 g dry weight .Ascorbic acid is considered as a relevant nutritional quality index of food during blanching and drying because of its low stability during thermal treatments and its water solubility. Ascorbic acid is significantly lost (20– 70%) during water and steam blanching and one of the advantages of dry blanching is the higher retention of this water soluble micronutrient. IR blanching at 200 °C retained higher ascorbic acid (∠¼ 93%) compared with other two conditions.(table.1) The results showed that that the duration–temperature combination decided the retention of ascorbic acid, rather than temperature or duration alone. IR blanching removed nearly 10% moisture, which could be a favorable factor, if drying is the subsequent step. Acknowledgement The Author would like to thank UGC for the award of Junior Research Fellowship (RGNF). Authors wish to thanks Director, CFTRI for extending infrastructure other facilities for carrying out this work.

Quality and Six Sigma Quality Initiative Essay -- Six Sigma TQM Total

Quality and Six Sigma Quality Initiative Sigma - ï  ³ is most common known as a Greek letter which is used in statistics as a measure of variation, or change. Most of the people, however, don’t know that ï  ³ is not only a symbol but it is also a method of quality. 6ï  ³ Quality (Six Sigma Quality) is a management philosophy which has to lead to better employee performance and therefore completely satisfy the customer. Six Sigma Quality, or in the abbreviation 6SQ was first introduced in 1986, when Dr. Mikel J.Harry tried the first project in the Motorola Company. However, the idea if it is not new. The same, or a very similar concepts are known under different names such as Total Quality Management (TQM) or Zero-Mistake-Production. Nowadays, many companies adopted the Six Sigma Quality Philosophy, among them are General Electric (GE), BMW – car producers in Germany, Navistar or Thermoking. Six Sigma involves all the employees, from the basic ones, to the top management. 6SQ requires not only training, but also the cooperation from the employees. If a company achieves ï  ³ 1, it will have a yield of 31% that means the business operations will be error free in 31%. Sigma on the stage two means error freeness in 69.2%, number 3 - 93.32%. All this seems to be a big improvement, but as we will see later on, it is not enough to work on the level 3, or 4, even though both of them have a very high percentage of error-freeness. Sigma step number 4 in the real numbers means 99.37% error free operations. Most of the companies, which are working under 6SQ are operating somewhere between Sigma 3 and Sigma 4. Sigma 5 means almost perfect result. 99.97% error freeness, and this seems to be a dream for most of the compa... ...es is the common sense. Alone the General Electrics Company (GE) is going to invest $550 M only in the year 1999 for the Six Sigma Program. (Manager Magazine, October 1999). Since GE had 293.000 employees in the year 1998, the cost for each employee comes up to $ 1.706. Since we have to consider that not all the employees are willing to take part on the seminar. Some of the people view that the Six Sigma Quality is forcing people to do lots of seminars on what is the common sense saying. Simply it is sometimes viewed as a pure waste of time, because the participation on these seminars takes a lot of time. The other disadvantages include another stress for the employees who are running the quality program and also for the employees who have to be in the program. Very often the idea is not bad at all, but the employees simply do not have time to complete the tasks.

Octopus :: essays research papers

Recently, researchers have discovered the existence of an extremely unique type of octopus. The species, known as the Indo-Malayan octopus, has the ability to alter its shape, form, and color pattern to mimic or imitate other sea creatures in order to avoid predation (2). The discovery of the mimic octopus is noteworthy because no other type of cephalopod is known to have impersonation abilities. The octopus is also not limited to one imitation. Researchers have observed up to eight different formations. The alternations occur depending upon the appetite, surrounding environment, and proximity of predators the octopus encounters (1). In analyzing the formations, behaviors, and predators of the mimic octopus, it is important to isolate the origins of this exclusive, and highly intelligent defense mechanism. Is this means of protection or evolutionary development, one that allows the cephalopod a better means of survival? Or is this the result of observed behaviors where the mimic oct opus becomes aware of the relations occurring in the environment, and successfully imitates a species based upon their ability to subsist when dealing with dangerous predators? The existence of mimic octopi is restricted to the islands of Indonesia, specifically off the coasts off Solawesi, and Bali (3). Surprisingly, the octopi have been viewed during the daylight hours, generally residing near sand tunnels, and holes (1). The octopi enjoy these mounds because they provide a significant source of food, including small worms, fish, and crustaceans. The octopus utilizes its arms to feel for prey, and then captures the food through the use of expanded webs. However, when the animal is attempting to hide itself from possible enemies, the Indo-Malayan octopus can transform itself into a variety of organisms, including fish, sea snakes, and anemones. If the octopus observes a cluster of damselfishes, it will change into a lionfish by swimming above the ocean floor, with arms extended beyond the body (2). The lionfish is known to possess poisonous spikes, which successfully deter the damselfish from preying upon the mimic octopus. Another possible transformation includes the sole fish. The octopus is able to propel itself in a similar manner by forming a leaf-shaped arm that moves it across the ocean floor effortlessly. The octopus's arms are also useful in impersonating the sea snake. Two arms are waved around to appear like a pair of snakes, while the other six are hidden from view. The octopus also changes its color and creates yellow and dark bands across the exposed arms.

Laptops, Hard Drives, The Ephemera Of Data, The Risk Of Theft And Consequence Of Law: Responsibilities And Liabilities

As technology develops at the speed of light, as digital phones computers grow more powerful than twelve acres of 1967 IBM mainframes, as information is set down in liquid pixels and stored in virtual warehouses the size of a postage stamps, as hackers and those of ill-will seek out ever-new clever ways to â€Å"break and enter† virtual â€Å"banks of data†. the law must respond, reflect, assess and codify those principles which will serve the business community, management and labor, employers and employees, as it enters the unknown territory of a virtual future.In a more gentile time of scriveners, Bartleby and Scrooge, an employee as day’s end would lift the top of his writer’s desk, store the hand written documents for that day and wait for his superior to stop by with a key to lock the desk for the night. Theft of such documents would have required the breaking and entering into a physical place to obtain physical objects.Cause and effect would be cle ar, as would an assessment of responsibility and liability. However, with today’s technology and the wide-open vistas of the world wide web, theft can occur from an transnational distance over invisible lines by processes barely comprehensible to those responsible for security. The 19th century scrivener under contract to his employer performed certain services and incurred certain duties and responsibilities.Doubtless, to a certain degree (perhaps depending upon who held the key) he was responsible for the safeguard of his newly copied documents. Likewise the modern employee owes similar duties and responsibilities; however, in the cyber age of information, the protection of data and information, securing it from being lost in the ocean of the web, is a more complicated issue, a more difficult task and raises questions that have yet to be resolved in this protean and ever-burgeoning area of business law.First, a word concerning definition and semantics: The terms â€Å"resp onsibility† and â€Å"liability† tend to get laced in the TV screenwriter’s daisy-chain of legalese in much the same way as Hamilton Burger couldn’t help himself from objecting in every episode of â€Å"Perry Mason† with the contradictory charge of â€Å"irrelevant, incompetent and immaterial. † What one gains in the impressive sound of â€Å"lawyer-words† is lost to meaning and precision.The distinction is important to present issues insofar as responsibility means the capacity, so far as this is a matter of a man’s mind or will, which normal people have to control their actions and conform to law. It describes the duties a person takes on which are general for any party to an agreement, a contract for consideration. Liability, on the other hand, is the quality or state of being legally obligated or accountable.It is a legal responsibility owed to another or society enforceable by civil remedy or punishment. Liability is a more serious matter in that it is ultimately an assessment by some given authority (judge, jury, and arbitrator) that one’s failure of responsibility is of such a nature as to incur the greater duty to make amends or remedy as determined by the specific facts of the matter.In short, liabilities denote some failure of responsibility; however, all failures of responsibility do not necessarily result in the imposition of liability. At its most basic level the law is about the management of relationships, the identification, assessment and balancing of the rights, interest, duties and responsibilities of the parties to the relationship. The law assesses the relative merits of argument when these respective interests come into conflict.In the arena of cyber space, cyber theft, cyber torts, the many relationships between and among several parties raise a plethora of issues, a multitude of arguments. The primary relationship exists between the employer and the employee. The relationship rests in the employment contract; however, depending upon the conduct of the parties other areas of law may come into play: harassment, negligence, cyber tort, trespass, theft, etc.The focus on the employment contract as setting forth certain responsibilities for either party in the age of cyber-data, the portability of laptops, and the ephemeral nature of recorded data, the questions, among others, raised are to what extent an employer can direct and restrict the conduct of an employee when those directives and restrictions bounce up against the employee’s competing interests in the ownership of personal property (his or her laptop) or the employee’s right to come and go as he/she pleases in a free society without having to exercise extraordinary care concerning the contents of his/her laptop, outside the office, beyond office hours. Just how far can the four corners of the employment contract stretch to govern employee conduct, responsibilities and the imposition of potential liabilities during the employee’s personal time? (The issues concerning the use and the restrictions on use of the employee’s personal laptop in the workplace during work hours is the easier analysis with the weight of authority siding with the employer’s right to impose restrictions deemed necessary for security and employee performance. )Analogies to the this predicament which in general asks to what degree an employer, as a condition of the employment contract, can direct the employee’s â€Å"after-hours† life, can be found in similar issues raised by those employment contracts which include a 24/hour non-smoking clause (in the interest of health costs, insurance premiums) or the ban on any office romance, inside or outside the office. What responsibilities does an employee incur with the pervasive use of laptop computers, which in a physical sense are portable items of personal property, but also carry a volume of information that on ce would have been stored in several warehouses or file rooms? Simply stated, employees are probably more of a security risk than an asset.By virtue of technology’s advance, employees have been placed in a precarious position of being guardians at the gate of treasure when the gate and the treasure are often invisible and invaded by invisible means. Perimeter security doesn’t work anymore. The airwaves are filled with rogue access points, and people are bringing infected laptops in and out of the enterprise. â€Å"A number of companies †¦ are revising their policies about how employees should handle confidential data stored on computers. Many employees are facing new restrictions on who can take confidential records out of the office and are receiving special training on how to keep data secure.Workers found violating security policies are being disciplined or even dismissed. † The next relationship is a sub-set of the first. It looks at the situation in wh ich an employee, having agreed to whatever conditions, duties, responsibilities, set forth in the employment contract and the statement of company policies, exhibits negligence, even gross negligence in the care and handling of his laptop, resulting in its physical theft. Assume the laptop’s hard drive contains something equivalent to the recipe for Coca-Cola, and the implications of loss to the company are self-evident. In this hypothetical the employee has failed in his responsibilities to the company. And yet what are the company’s remedies?As referenced above, they can discipline or dismiss the employee, and then sit back and watch as Company Z manufactures a soda as good as their own. The issue as to whether they can hold the employee liable is dwarfed by the issue of remedies. One fired employee will not return the secret formula. Assume the employee’s conduct was criminal. He gets ten years, community service, and a lien on his property (a double-wide out side of Macon) in the amount of ten million dollars. Company Z is still making a fortune manufacturing a cola as good as the original. The failure of remedy only serves to point the aggrieved party downstream to search out other remedies (i. e. , deep pockets), civil and criminal, for their loss.And yet, even then, assuming the best case scenario for Company Z (meaning the likely imposition of civil remedies and criminal fines/punishment) any litigator knows that at that advanced stage of litigation with large companies and big firms on the clock, the process is exceedingly slow and absent injunctions against the offending party – the secret’s now likely to be in the hands of Companies A, B, C and D. These hypothetical only points up the extreme seriousness of the necessity for a company’s defense against attacks from outside, and the disturbing acknowledgment that said defense is not wholly within the company’s control. Companies have instituted policies to stress, express and maximize an employee’s responsibility, even imposing certain liabilities on the failure of such duties; all to minimize and the limit the risk of hacking and theft.But the 20th century world of â€Å"hard copy† (and what that implies) is about to pass by commerce as businesses enter a new age of information-gathering and information-conveyance. The substance of current information is as rock-solid, as valuable as ever, however the â€Å"thing itself† – what used to be the paper and the ink scribbles on the paper, i. e. , the thing that carried the information are now words on screens that can all too easily disappear onto invisible hard drives that move by means of invisible wires cast about the world in an invisible matrix – rendering the whole chain of custody as ephemeral as vapor, vulnerable to the peculiar talents of a new kind of thief, who’s comfortable with the notion of theft as an intellectual rather than a physical activity. So, who’s vulnerable? â€Å"Anybody who has data. †Another issue that arises out of the various relationships involved is this: Given the current state of affairs regarding the risk and threat of data theft, cyber theft, laptop theft, floppy disk theft, companies, for some time, have been on constructive (if not express) notice that there are individuals among us, peculiar perhaps in their pursuits, talented and brilliant in ways often unknown to current Baby-Boom age management, who derive pleasure and more likely profit from infecting the web and its offshoots with viruses. The following hypothetical presents itself: Hacker X in a basement in Queens has been hired by Rogue Company Z, competitor of large and established Company A, to infect Company A’s computers with a virus that will disable Company A, thereby enhancing competitor Rogue Company Z’s position in the shared market.Hacker X is to be a paid a good deal of money and not bec ause he’s stupid. He knows from experience that a direct assault on Company A is more likely to lead a trail back to himself and Rogue Company Z. Therefore Hacker X studies the interlocking systems of Company A with client companies and determines he can attack Company A through out of state Company Client. On a given Monday Company Client’s workers go to work and discover that their system has crashed with a virus that will spread through a given network, affecting several companies down line, including Company A, the prime target. The issues are what duties did Company Client have to notify entities down line?As a practical matter, is there time for Company Client to notify other companies down line? What duty does any company, such as Company Client have, not only towards itself, but to companies down the line who will suffer impairment from the traveling virus? And most importantly do the companies down line have a cause of action against Company Client for breach of some duty in failing to protect itself (and therefore others) from virus infestation. The questions are not rhetorical. They are real and fact sensitive. One can envision a circumstance in which a company is so lax in its security that it all but screams for hackers to have their way.Such a security failure might very well be deemed a breach of duty to other companies in the zone of danger (its length and breadth however defined). And yet all we are left with are the questions: What laws or what standards govern? Are they state laws? And if so do they give rise to conflict of laws problems? Are they Federal laws? Who sets the standards codified by the legislation? Does the current state of common law (tort and contract) anticipate the advantageous application of old principles in new clothes? On analysis, it appears that when all is said and done, the essential â€Å"bottom line† issue will devolve about the areas of remedies and insurance.Analysis of responsibilities, the ir breach and consequent liabilities can fill courtrooms with boxes of pleadings; however, when the issues are finally resolved and liability is determined, who, in this day of multi-billion dollar cyber secrets will have the funds, the deep pockets, to make the aggrieved party whole. The resort to insurance opens another area of analysis which for now remains without the boundaries of discussion proscribed herein; however, one can only imagine the super-layer of responsibilities to be imposed on companies and their employees by insurance contract, drafted water-tight, so as to minimize risk of theft in a high risk environment.

Symbolism In English literatureâ€â€œGravity” Essay

Symbolism is a good tool to use when we come across difficult abstract concepts such as life and death.For example, in her article entitled â€Å"Gravity†, David Leavitt tells us a story about how a mom named Sylvia encourages her HIV infected son Theo to live longer. When Theo started to have bad eye sight in his childhood Sylvia just let him wear her flamboyant glasses despite that people around them all think that Theo looks strange. After Theo grew up, between a drug that could sustain his life and a drug that could save his sight, Theo chose the second one. Sylvia worried that Theo would give up the hope for living, so she tried to encourage Theo to live by a strange way which similar to the way she help him with his sight when he was a child. She threw a very heavy crystal bowl to Theo when they were shopping in a gift store. Theo caught the bowl without thinking. Theo realized that by throwing the bowl, on one side, Sylvia tended to prove that he is still alive. On the other side, Sylvia wanted to encourage him to live longer. The crystal bowl in the story represents exactly what Theo was going through. It symbolizes both life and death. It represents life because it was heavy and valuable â€Å"(The crystal bowl is) Four hundred and twenty- five dollars† (l. 88) This shows that the crystal bowl is very valuable just like that human’s life is very precious. In the same time, crystal bowl represent death because it could easily been shattered. Theo was surprised that he actually did not shatter the bowl â€Å"Theo looked at the floor, still surprised not to see shards of glass around his feet.† (l. 96-97) If the crystal bowl were broken, it would have not value or meaning just like it has lost its life. So, the Crystal bowl in the story represents death. If the bowl shattered, it just like a person lost his/her life. The crystal bowl also represents the character and hopes of Sylvia. The crystal in the story is very showing and pricy. â€Å"(The crystal bowl is) a large ridges crystal bowl, a very fifties sort of bowl, stalwart and square-jawed.† (l. 84-86) It represents Sylvia’s flamboyant and materialism characters. The author tells us that Sylvia has a flamboyant character by describing Sylvia’s bold and flashy glasses†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ harlequins with tiny rhinestones in the corners†¦Ã¢â‚¬ (l. 9) The author also implies that Sylvia is quite materialism by showing us that she care a lot abo ut the price of a graduation gift her sister given to her son  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Don’t you remember that cheap little nothing Bibi gave you for your graduation? It was disgusting.†(l.50-51) On the other hand, the crystal bowl represents the strength of Sylvia’s hope for Theo to live because the crystal bowl is heavy â€Å"’That’s heavy,’ Sylvia said, observing with satisfaction how the bowl had weighted Theo’s arms down†(l.93-94) The heavier the stronger, so the heaviness of the crystal bowl represent the strong will and hope of Sylvia. The author shows us that Sylvia is a strong willed woman who has done extremely stressful things in a role â€Å"The DHPG injections she (Sylvia) took in stride—she’s seen her own mother through her dying, after all, Four times a day, with the equanimity of a nurse, she cleaned out the plastic tube implanted in his chest, inserted a sterilized hypodermic a Sylvia and slowly dripped bag of sight-giving liquid into his vein†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (l.17-20) It shows that Sylvia has tremendous strength just like the toughness the crystal bowl appeared to be. The author also shows us that Sylvia’s hope for Theo to live is very strong. Even though Sylvia was stressed out †Yet she (Sylvia) had also, at about three o’clock one morning, woken him up to tell him she was going to the twenty-four- hour supermarket, and was there anything her wanted†(1. 122-124) This shows that Sylvia was on the edge of mental broken-down. But Sylvia still keeps strong hope for The o to live â€Å"†¦ it had occurred to him (Theo) that she (Sylvia) was trusting his two feeble hands, out of the whole world, to keep it from shattering.† This shows that after all, Sylvia strongly hoped that, showing Theo that he was still strong by throwing the crystal bowl and letting him catch it, Theo would not continue on giving up his life but choose to live longer. The crystal also symbolized the general message which the author is trying to convey to the readers: life should be fully lived. The author shows that Theo was dying and tended to giving up his life. He felt â€Å"†¦wide and unswimmable the gulf was becoming between him and the evereceding shoreline of the will †¦Ã¢â‚¬  (l. 35-36) Even though he felt that way, he still caught the heavy crystal bowl without thinking. It shows the underlining deep and significant meaning of the story â€Å"There are certain things you’ve already done before you even think how to do them†¦ the bowl, which Theo was holding before he could even begin to calculate its brief trajectory†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (l.131-133) This shows us that all human have an instinct for living. By showing us this, the story conveys a message to the readers that even though life is  violable like the fragile crystal bowl; it doesn’t mean that we should give up. Instead, we should look at the positive side of life. Just like the crystal bowl also heavy and strong side, human lives also have a strong side because very one have instinct for living. Therefore, we should have faith to ourselves and stop complaining our own misery but start to look at life in a positive way, and realize that our lives should be fully lived.