Health disparities Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Health disparities - Essay Example bservations that I made an as FNP student is that health center patients are more ethnically and racially diverse compared to national patients (Kronenfeld, 2013). In addition, health center patients are highly likely to be publicly insured or uninsured. Disparities in primary care setting are based on appropriateness, access and use of care. These disparities are caused by factors such as sex, income, health condition, race or ethnicity and geography. Patients with care sensitive conditions in low-income groups from rural areas are highly likely to indicate that their visit to the emergency department was because of a medical condition that was treatable by a primary care provider. Women with care sensitive conditions have a low probability of receiving information regarding medication side effects. In addition, they did not receive the four recommended tests required for chronic condition monitoring. They were also denied the right tools required for the self-management of their condition. People in low-income groups also did not receive support from their primary care provider. These people reported that their provider did not involve them during clinical decision-making (Kronenfeld, 2009). They were also not involved in the crea tion of a treatment plan that would help in the management of their medical conditions. I am preparing myself to address these disparities by conducting studies on disparities in primary care setting. In addition to the studies, I have interviewed healthcare professionals with an aim of gaining insights into the causes of the disparities and likelihood of avoiding them (Buttaro, 2013). I have performed a literature review of relevant literature on disparities in primary care setting. Most importantly, I have identified the most vulnerable demography and scheduled a survey with them in order to collect their views on the disparities experienced. If awarded the scholarship, I will use the funds to finance my studies on how the

The Tell Tale Heart Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Tell Tale Heart - Essay Example The writer of irony here is Poe, of course, and not the narrator since the narrator appears to be entirely oblivious to the ironic component of his monologue. Or is he While convention critical analysis of "The Tell-Tale Heart" engages the story from the point of view that the narrator's attempt to prove his sanity is an exercise in irony, his clearly deluded state of mind can just as easily be interpreted as a brilliantly conceived plot to escape extreme punishment for his crime by convincing the people that he is insane when he is not. In a sense, "The Tell-Tale Heart" contains the nugget of an idea that would be fleshed out to novel-length status in Joseph Heller's Catch-22. The catch-22 in the narrator's case is that he would clearly be sane if he attempted to prove his innocence, but if he doesn't try to prove his innocence he will most likely receive capital punishment. One of the fascinating aspects of this story is that it remains unclear to whom the narrator is addressing his appeal to be found sane. It might be the police; it is more likely a judge; the most likely consideration of all is that is the warden of the prison or even a group of people gathered to watch him hang. The question of the direction of the narration is left open to interpretation, but one thing is clear. Instead of attempting to prove his innocence, the narrator's long monologue becomes a case of trying to prove his sanity. The lack of a concrete explanation of the person or office to which the narration is addressed leaves much room for interpretation. The only aspect with even a close approximation of certainty is that the story is not being addressed to the police officers since he mentions that they were satisfied. The climax of the story is the revelation of the dead body and the story is told as a remembrance, so the most likely estimation is that the narrator is addressing some kind of court official or personage who may influence over the judgment of the narrator. The story that the narrator is telling, therefore, is most accurately realized as an appeal for mercy rather than merely an appeal to be thought sane. After all, if the exhortations to be found sane are accepted, then the judgment cannot help but be merciless. It is only if this obsessive quest to be considered sane results in the ironic reversal of being declared insane that the narration makes any sense whatever. "The Tell-Tale Heart" can thus be said to work on two levels of dramatic irony at once. The most obvious level of irony, the one that most readers recognize and that forms the crux of so much literary analysis, is that the narrator's obsessive devotion to proving his sanity undermines that devotion to the point that it is impossible to designate him as anything other than psychotic and at least semi-delusion. The irony in this reading of "The Tell-Tale Heart" is based upon the traditional reading that irony is produced by the contradiction of what is actually being said and what is actually meant. When a reader peers closer and brings into context the potential for whom the narrator is addressing and why he would choose to prove his sanit

The Marketing Strategies In The Toyota Company Essay Example for Free

The Marketing Strategies In The Toyota Company Essay Toyota Company for the past many years have been known for its quality products and reliability. But the very creativity of Toyota in its businesses and projects which touches every aspect of life was hardly seen by the people. It is when the company tried to create an image for themselves showcasing their eco-friendly activities like participation in motor sports and also practiced corporate philanthropic acts. Toyota managed to develop great principles and philosophies which helped in the manufacturing of the various exclusive models of the Toyota Production System. Toyota’s success of the tools and the technologies is due to the following 4 P’s model which they follow very rigidly. Philosophy à   The company philosophy states that they have to drive the market by satisfying the stakeholders of the company who are customers, society at large, community and its associates. Process à   Following the right kind of process will yield better results in the short term and long term improvement process. People and Partners à   More skilled and confident people who have the zeal to learn and grow in the company help and value the organization success. Problem Solving à   Organizational learning and experiences take place only if there is a control mechanism for solving the problems and the issues. Continuous improvement is still a better option which has been opted for. Toyota designs its strategies based on the concept of breaking down the jobs to develop specific work assignments which would be provided to the respective audience who will have the effectiveness in performing the task. Training processes needs to be sharpened by Toyota to meet up to its expectations. Toyota believes in developing the people by its rigorous and continuous problem solving mechanism which is in place. Toyota since 2003 has been considered as the world’s second carmaker lagging behind GMC. With the attractive designs in its technology, Toyota has been regarded as the best among the auto consumers across the globe. It has made the reputation and brand not only for its attractive designs in the vehicles but because of its affordable prices, branding process and the marketing techniques that have been followed. It has been successful in being different from other automakers because of the differential pricing mechanism. The segmentation and the targeting measures have been streamlined in way that each customer’s needs and wants have been effectively satisfied. Toyota uses a strong definition to describe its business entity by marketing its business line as being fuel efficient, environmentally friendly and having better quality products and also it marketed as being a funny and entertaining in terms of its promotional campaigns. Although Toyota gained enough revenue because of this unique selling proposition, still the masses considered it as only a fun company. Hence it decided to start up a new brand named Lexus targeting the luxury car market which it thought of marketing as a separate company with no relation to Toyota. This project was successful because of it better customer support services and a strong distribution network. Despite all the innovativeness shown, Toyota faced a crunch and a problem in their Demographic segmentation with reference to the age factor. It targeted an average age to be 47 as compared to the industry average to be 45 and hence choose to design a marketing campaign for the youth segment to influence them in buying Toyota products. Thus it started manufacturing and designing sports utility and youthful models to target the younger youth segment. To make this youth project a success it promoted its products on youth oriented media like MTV, sports channels; highlighting its brand philosophy on the websites in a flamboyant and a loud manner and by sponsoring various live programs. They were so practical and disciplined in their marketing tactics that they followed the concept of no negotiation in their prices and also providing no pressure on the customers to force their buying there by encouraging vehicle customization for its customers to enforce their purchase decision. The success of Toyota is regarded for its ability to identify the newer growth opportunities thereby achieving greater market development and product development thus capturing them in a timely phased manner. It also concentrated on downsizing wherever required so as to minimize on the resources which did not produce results. The unique characteristics of Toyota’s marketing strategies is that it has kept aside the traditional marketing tactics like surveys or focus groups or case studies but has adopted techniques like participating in parties, clubs, art galleries :thus helping in creating a balanced rapport with the youth. Toyota felt that the marketers shouldn’t use marketing gimmicks to attract the customers but to devise strategies which convey the messages in a straightforward, authentic and undemanding manner. Publicizing their product range in music CDs was another plus point for the company. Websites were the point of grievance handling and a focal point for providing feedback and suggestions in an interactive manner. Toyota thus has created a niche for themselves because of its economies of scale, global brand name and highly equipped and skilled engineers, all of which have been contributed in the best manner to showcase the company positively. References: Cina, M. (2002). â€Å"Toyota Uses Unique Marketing Strategy For Scion.† Retrieved on April 4, 2008, from Popular Mechanics Web site: http://www.popularmechanics.com/automotive/new_cars/1270196.html Liker, J. Et al (2005). â€Å"The Toyota Way Fieldbook† 1st Ed, New York: McGraw Hill. Wittens, S. Et al (2006). â€Å"Toyota: Developing Strategies for Growth† Retrieved on April 4, 2008, from Life in Motion Web site: http://lifeinmotion.wordpress.com/2006/12/23/%E2%80%9Ctoyota-developing-strategies-for-growth%E2%80%9D/

Pectinase Production Techniques

Pectinase Production Techniques PECTINASE PRODUCTION ABSTRACT Pectin is found naturally in many plants. Pectinase enzyme has ability to break down pectin. Pectinase production has varying important needs industrially. Hence the production of pectin is important. Pectinase production has developed with the help of genetic engineering and novel strains. Production of alkaline pectinase is more important industrially than the normal pectinase. INTRODUCTION Pectin is structural heteropolysaccharide having esterification to galacturonic acid [1]. It forms aÃŽ ±-1, 4 glycosidic bonds with arabinose, galactose, rhamnose and xylose [1]. It is found in higher plants in the primary cell wall containing different composition of lignin, cellulose and hemicelluloses and proteins of microfibril that are cross linked which forms the hard tissue structure shape [1]. Pectinase is breaking down of pectin substances by enzymes [1]. It can be divided into different types like pectin esterases, pectin hydrolases, protopectinase and pectin lyases [1]. It can also be divided into alkaline and acid pectinase [1]. Pectin production has become industrially important because of its variety of applications like papermaking, extraction of natural products, textile degumming, juice extraction and clarification and so on [1]. Pectin is observed in plants in middle lamella and primary cell wall. Pectin has a characteristic of gelation which can be divided into high and low methoxy gelation. In 1825 scientist Henri Braconnot first isolated pectin. PECTINASE PRODUCTION USING: GENETIC ENGINEERING The generation of alkaline pectinase through genetic engineering takes place as follows. The first step is the chromosomal DNA separation from a strain used for producing alkaline pectinase, primer designing, and use of PCR to obtain target gene recombinant plasmid construction, Bacillus Subtilis as means of expression, gene sequence measurement and comparative analysis [2, 7, and 8]. By using this method the enzyme activity of the engineered bacteria in the fermentation liquid increased 22 times compared to normal starting strain and the yield achieved was 330U/ml [2]. After optimizing various culture conditions, the enzymatic activity of genetically engineered bacteria is 758.7825U/ml which is 50 times better than using original strain from Luria Bertani fermented media [8]. NOVEL STRAIN Sometimes micro-organisms strain having unique characteristic are used for pectinase production for maximum growth example Aspergillus niger give rise to novel acid pectinase PEC 2 [1]. Consider the strain Penicillium verruculosum TS63-9 have a gene sequence ITSrRNA which makes it useful in production [3]. During fermentation crude enzyme liquid is obtained which is then applicable for production of tobacco [3]. In another case novel strain like Paenibacillus is used for the production of alkaline pectinase [4]. The production takes place in such a way that paenibacillus SJN-PL0602 is first inoculated in the fermentation broth to get initial system of which OD 600 is 0.05 -0.15 [4]. The main fermentation shake cultivation takes place in two phase; in first at 30 -370C for 8 -12 hrs and in second phase at 22 – 260 C for 36- 40 hrs [4]. Red algae or brown red algae were used for the production of ultra pectinase as clearing agents for wine and juices, sometimes ultrapectinase are also extracted from seaweed or waste liquor discharged from seaweed [6].Bacillus subtilis was used for alkaline pectinase production in paper making industry [7]. Pichia pastoris GS115 is also used for alkaline production [9]. Bacillus cereus is used for industrial production of pectinase [10]. UNIQUE PROTEIN For the production of alkaline pectinase a protein Pel N having unique amino acid sequence was used [5]. This protein has enzyme activity of 4590 – 4950 U/mg for degrading polygalacturonic acid, has better heat stability and heat preservation of 120 min at 450C gives 90% of relative heat stability [5]. The optimum temperature is 650 C and p H value of 9.8 [5]. ULTRA PECTINASE The production of ultra pectinase was done in order to replace pectinase and it is nonbiological [6]. Since pectinase is used as clarifying agent it was necessary to replace pectin on industrial scale [6]. The major advantage of ultra pectinase are the raw material are cheap, low investment, process takes place without heating, product output is higher, impurities are isolated, less moisture content is les and it takes place in less than 30 mins than the traditional method of 48 mins [6]. ALKALINE PECTINASE The general steps that are followed during the production of alkaline pectinase the bacterial strain are selected for selective breeding, these strains are cultured, fermentation takes place through shaking and the enzyme liquid preparation takes place [2, 7, and 8]. The production of alkaline pectinase has optimized the culture condition method and they are; the fermentation medium is optimized by taking a single fact experiment, the target strain is optimized by using methods of response surface to get strain of target, the culture condition in the medium is optimized so that the fermentation condition for the target strain is optimized [8]. In a same way nucleotide sequence of alkaline pectinase pel1685s is optimized, this is done by amplification using PCR, transformation and ligation of the pel168 gene [9]. Industrial production of pectinase also takes place in same way as production of alkaline pectinase for high enzyme activity [10]. It’s an advantage in for having high enzyme activity for industrial pectinase production; fermentation period is short, cost is low, time taken is short and stable [10]. APPLICATION OF PECTINASE PRODUCTION Pectin as an enzyme is used industrially for various application some of the specific areas are as follows: Papermaking pulping After pickling treatment the raw material is soaked with alkaline pectinase. The chemical extract prepared has favorable strength and property, after bleaching and chlorine treatment the plump has whiteness of 80-90%, there is 20-40% decrease in alkali consumption and the cost of production is also decreased 20% [7]. Degumming When pectin is used for fiber blast degumming there is about 80% waste reduced, the ration of the finished is about 65%, the ratio of fiber dispersion is 100%there is almost no fiber strength destruction, also the defect in gum ratio is low, the time taken for degumming is also less [10]. Juice making and clarification Pectin is normally found in most of the fruits. Pectin is used in juice clarification in the following way plant material to be provided, plant material need to be chopped and crushed into smaller pieces, taking this small piece and contacting it with pectinase with further clarifies the juice [11]. Also sometimes low temperature pectinase are generated for the production of apple juice. Penicillium aculeatum is used for the generation of low temperature pectinase with the help of shaddock peel powder which acts as a carbon source for clarification of fresh apple juice. The medium used for fermentation is as follows anhydrous CaCl2 0.01%, potassium dihydrogen phosphate 0.2%, magnesium sulfate heptahydrate 0.2% , peptone 0.5-2% and shaddock peel powder 0.5-2% the p H of medium is maintained at 5.5. a clear apple juice is obtained with the help of fermentation condition like time taken is 75-147 hrs, the inoculums size is 2%, the temperature is maintained at 300 C, the speed of rotation at 3-30 rpm. In these conditions the pectinase of low temperature react with the apple juice at 100, 200 and 300 for 2 hrs to give clarified apple juice [12]. Processing of soybean Pectinase produced by organism bacillus is used in soybean production. The processes takes place in such a way that first the soaking of soybean in water takes place which is further steamed, cooled and allowed to react with pectinase. This is held for some time period agitated further for enzyme treatment. Now slurry is generated from that single cell of soybean is taken and dispersed and the pectinase is inactivated. It is further dried to get soybean powder [13]. CONCLUSION Different production methods of pectinase have been studied. The super or ultra pectinase production method for clearing agents in juices using seaweeds. The use of genetically engineered bacteria for the production of alkaline pectinase and the different optimization methods of culture conditions for the production. The nucleotide sequence used for the production of alkaline pectinase is also optimized. The applications of pectinase especially in the papermaking industry. The production of low temperature pectinase in juice clearing at low temperatures. Specific gene code, nucleotide and protein used for the production of pectinase are used for industrial production of alkaline pectinase.

Impact on the People of Nigeria by Muslims, French and British Essay

Africans have been migrating through out the continent, including Nigeria, long before there was even written record. Because of this, there has always been an extensive amount of inter-mingling between various ethnic groups, making it difficult to actually trace back who came from where. Aside from this amalgamation, there has been a huge impact on the peoples of Nigeria by outside forces. In particular, three major groups that had a major impact were Muslim merchants from across the Sahara, British slave traders and eventual colonizers, and the French and British Christian missionaries. The combination of these three groups has had both an economic and cultural impact on Nigeria that is still present today. External penetration of Nigeria started as early as the 9th century AD when Muslim merchants from western Sudan, Maghreb, Tripolitania and Egypt started traveling across the Sahara with camel caravans in search of trade. Over the course of the next six centuries, Islam became accepted widely in the north, especially among the Hausa and Fulani, and not only as a religion. It also imposed a central government, segregated the sexes, influenced language and script, and established a hierarchical class system that was not there beforehand. Islam did not spread south because of the dense tropical forest that divides Nigeria into north and south. This also caused the two regions to â€Å"develop† at different rates because while the south was still alien to Europeans, the north was expanding culturally and economically because of its deep involvement with the trans-Sahara trade routes. The peoples of the south remained untouched by Europeans until the 1470’s when Portuguese explorers, under the inspiration and guidance of Henry the Navigator, arrived and traded spirits, cloth, guns and gunpowder for slaves. The Portuguese did not really have much of a cultural effect on the indigenous people (besides the slowly diminishing population). This is because they rarely traveled farther than the coast, if they even left the ships. Eventually the British ships were dropping anchor along Nigeria’s coast after Britain realized the extent of the profits the Portuguese were making and what they could reap from slavery. By 1712 they had established a slave monopoly along the west coast. Chiefs and African slave traders brought slaves to shipside in exchange for Eu... ...t of Nigerians resorted to migration when fighting didn’t work. It is ironic how when one country tries to take over another in a forceful manner, it is met by some form of resistance but if the country introduces itself through trade it is accepted with open arms. The Muslims did not intend to rule over anyone. They were there to make deals and trade goods. Muslim conversion was gradual and voluntary and spanned over six centuries. There is little evidence about wars between Muslims and Nigerians. Also, many Nigerians are proud to be part of the Muslim culture in the north, even if they are from the south, because of its historical tradition, distinctive architecture, useful language, Islamic faith and because it is an alternative to white European culture. The British were the ones that forcefully took people’s land and family members. They were accepted at first, but they betrayed the trust of the people and exploited them for Britain’s gain for over 400 years. Many educated Nigerians today feel that if it weren’t for the slave trade and colonialism, they would be living in a much more modern and progressive country at this time. It is no wonder that they resent the British.

John Steinbecks East of Eden - Caleb Trask and the Message of Persever

Caleb Trask and the Message of Perseverance in East of Eden      Ã‚   Caleb Trask was a man with many faults and shortcomings. Yet, Caleb was also a man who had a deep longing to be perfect and pleasing to his family, a man who craved his father's attention, and a man with a better heart than any other character in the book. In his novel, East of Eden, John Steinbeck uses the character of Caleb Trask to convey the important message of hope and perseverance.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   When I first read East of Eden, nothing about Cal Trask's personality or his mannerisms made him likable. He was introverted, cold, and hard.   I could not help but sense the story of Cain and Able being played out in a modern day version between him and his twin brother.   Although Cal and his brother Aron were twins, distinct differences existed between the two boys.   Aron was a natural spot of sunshine, illuminating his surroundings wherever he went.   He was a curly topped child who was adamantly attached to his rabbits.   Cal was the opposite of his brother, quiet and serious; he was looking forward to farming a small patch of land that his father was going to give him.   Yet there existed an even greater difference between Cal and his angelic brother.   Cal had a foreboding sense of anger and evil about him that was completely foreign to Aron.   Cal takes pleasure in making his brother cry, and in causing a little girl to urinate in her pants b y frightening her so.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   It becomes apparent, though, that Cal struggles with his darkness and wishes passionately to be rid of his meanness.   He doesn't like the way he is, but at the same time he can't change himself, either. From my first introduction of the two brothers, I was taken with Cal.   He wa... ... 1989. JOHN STEINBECK(1902-1968).   San Jose State University.   17 Jan. 2001.   . Levant, Howard.   The Novels of John Steinbeck: a Critical Study.   Columbia: U of Missouri Press, 1974. Murray, Robert Davis, ed.   Steinbeck.   Englewood: Prentice-Hall, 1972. National Steinbeck Center.   Salinas, CA.   17 Jan. 2001.   . Steinbeck Country.   San Jose State University.   17 Jan. 2001.   . Trosow, Esther. John Steinbeck's Pacific Grove.   17 Jan. 2001.   . Trosow, Esther.   John Steinbeck's Biography.   17 Jan. 2001.  Ã‚  Ã‚   . Valjean, Nelson.   John Steinbeck: The Errant Knight.   San Francisco:   Chronicle Books, 1975.

Critically evaluate whether flexible working arrangements are beneficial for employers and employees?

Flexible work options provides an alternative approache to getting work done through non traditional work hours, job structures ,and locations. The availability of flexible work options grants an opportunity for individuals to mould their careers in order to optimise their work and personal commitments. As for organisation it promises an increase in productivity,boost ‘employer of choice’,reduce fix cost. However flexibility is also reputed as costly for employers and favours unequal treatment in terms of pay and benefits for employees.This essay aims to examine the nature of flexibility and further highlight the different types of flexibility throught the flexible firm model(Atkinson) . In the 1990’s up til present day flexible work practices has become a central point for Uk government policies with Fagan et al (2006) believing globalisation; competition,productivity,active ageing; the long hours culture were particularly the source for the rise of flexible work ing practices.It is important to note that this belief remains the same today, except that advancement in technology is an additional influencing factor. Atkinson’s model of the flexible firm is an arrangement in which mangament offers employees different forms of flexibility practices namely functional,numerial and financial flexibility in order to optimize the use of human resources and quality of work. It is mainly focused on dividing the workforce into core and peripheral groups. The core group entails full time,well paid,secure professional jobs,functional flexible and difficult to replace.Whereas the peripheral group consist of employees who are numerically flexible(Legge) because their skills are abundant in the labour market hence relatively despensible thus low job security,consequently may lead to low productivity due to low morale or they are only needed to complete particular task e. g lawyers. From the employees view,it is better to be part of the core than the p eriphery since the former provides job security,increase career opportunities and better work conditions.Alteration in job design grants the core workers the benefit of soft HR practices implemented to achieve high performance, high commitment and high motivation and thus loyalty to the organisation despite managements persuasion to work across demarcation line as it reduces cost for them. But on the other hand it enhances the ‘its not my job syndrome’in employees(Mcdonals,2010). If employees don’t practice their new skill regularly they loose it. Therefore the cost of training and retraining does not serve the purpose significantly.However in the Uk there is a liking for numerical and temporal flexibility at the expense of functional flexibility(Macdonald,2010). This can be witnessed in an increased use of part timers,short term contract,cleaning agencies. This facilitates the firms ability to adjust the level of labour inputs to meet flunctuations in output(Jen kins,2004). However campos and Cunhas highlights the downside of outsourcing as there is a loss of control over proprietary information and less job security. Nontheless numerical flexibility through part timers helps to reduce costs for employers, for example, workers can be employed when they are needed.It is not necessary to pay for workers who are not productive. This helps attract inward investment. Unlike temporal flexibility it relates to variation in the number of working hours. Flexi time gives employees control over their work schedule thus not only benefiting the employee in terms of achieving a work life balance,job satisfaction but the employer too as it reduces absentism(Lee,1991) therefore higher productivity. Furtheremore teleworking allows employees individual choice in the location of work and covers the possibility to work from home and cutting down job related expenses e. g food,clothes,communiting expense.However Brannen (2005) argues that what appears on the su rface to represent a ceding of control by management to empower employees actually results in a loss of control,because flexible work arrangements unsettles what is a ‘reasonable amount of time’ to spend at work. This is because individuals find it hard to disengage from work. Hence critics of the flexible firm model by Legge. She believed there is a hidden agenda in the flexible firm model,which craftiliy promotes flexibility is good,but the real question is for whom? Futhermore there tends to be a pattern of professional isolation(Macdonald,2010).To conclude one can note that flexibility promises to provide organisations with a competitive edge by cutting down cost for employers,boost employer choice,increase in productivity and assure employees job satisfaction,motivations,work life balance. However,there still appears to be many unresolved issues relating to the flexibility debate. This is highlighted by legge’s critism of mixed empirical support for the flex ible firm model and the advantages of the flexibility is not equally shared. Notedly due to unequal treatment in terms of pay and increased job insecurity for workers.