The Benefits Of Online Classes Essay -- Essays Papers

Breaking news just in, it has been confirmed that â€Å"in support of creating standards for online learning, the U.S. Department of Education [will be] providing 1.8 million dollars to the National Center for Accessible Media† (Bricout 4). This seems to be an appropriate announcement that could have been made on any news channel back in 2001. As most do not realize, the internet and education have been linked together extensively for a period of time. In fact, online classes have already assumed a role in college bound student’s lives. The question is whether professors and universities are willing to take the extra step in making the internet the primary source of communication for the classes they teach. This piece will provide an insight to the benefits of online classes from several different points of views. Despite the few cons that exist, there are many benefits of an online course, most of which contradict the factors used to belittle it. Using the internet as a primary source of communication is faster, simplistic, and can pertain to each individual or group (Bricout 1). Provided there are no technical problems, using the internet seems to be â€Å"less hectic† (Caris 3) and allows a certain type of freedom. For example, students who are shy are no longer scared to participate in discussions because their identity is somewhat anonymous. However, not all is anonymous because the constant responses from a professor create a sense of presence that keeps the student on task and concerned with their own work. Many students enjoy working online because their thoughts are written previously and they have time to edit or prepare before sharing instead of being put right on the spot. According to T H E Journal... ...d October 3, 2004 from http://itdl.org/journal/Jan_04/article03.htm Daughenbaugh, R., Ensminger, D. Frederick, L. & Surry, D. Does personality type effect online versus in-class course satisfaction? In Mid-South Instructional Technology Conference. Retrieved Octover 3, 2004 from http://www.mtsu.edu/~itconf/ proceed02/3.html Lavelle, E., Theordore, P., & Yuliang, L. (2004). Experimental effects of online instruction of teacher’s concerns about technology integration. International Journal of Instructional Technology and Distance Learning. Muhammad, E.E. (n.d.). To tech or not to tech that is the question. Retrieved October 3, 2004 from http://servercc.oakton.edu/~tingxiu/octe/octe1/Proceedings /Muhammad.htm Wade, William (2004). Why I teach online. T H E Journal. Retrieved October 3, 2004 from http://www.thejournal.com/magazone/vault/A5009C.cfm

The Bermuda Triangle

â€Å"Only God and the Sea knows what happened to those great ships†- U. S. President Woodrow Wilson . By this quote Woodrow Wilson argues that while having so many incidents over the pass century within the area of the Bermuda Triangle; many people make inferences on what they believe is true , but no one actually knows the truth behind it all . The Bermuda Triangle is a triangular area of the North Atlantic Ocean and it lies between Miami ,Florida; San Juan, Puerto Rico, and of course the Island of Bermuda. The Bermuda Triangle is 140,000 Sq. miles in size . (Paranormal Encyclopedia . om) The Bermuda Triangle has become a controversial issue world wide. The Bermuda Triangle is a social issue due to: The history of it, Paranormal Activity, and how it has effected people in strange ways. . The Bermuda Triangle was first discussed by Christopher Columbus in the late 15th century . Christopher Columbus first wrote about it in a journal entry in 1492. He wrote that . â€Å" A Gr eat flame of fire crashed into the sea one night and that a strange light appeared a few weeks later. †After hearing this story many people thought it was a meteor and left the story alone for years and years.In 1918 when a Navy seal ship; the Cyclops with 300 men aboard and 10,000 tons ore on board sank somewhere between Barbados and Chesapeake Bay. However, the ship never sent out an SOS distress call. ( â€Å"But the region didn't get its name until August 1964, when Vincent Gaddis coined the term Bermuda Triangle in a cover story for Argosy magazine about the disappearance of Flight 19. †) The disappearance– of the aircraft (Flight 19) was flown by Amelia Earhart from Fort Lauderdale to start her (Around the World journey) but was never completed because in 1965 her plain had circumnavigation and disappeared within the Bermuda Triangle area.Strange history waled to the Bermuda Triangle has also led to many nicknames and paranormal theories. The Bermuda Triang le has many different names such as : â€Å"The Twilight Zone†, â€Å"Port of Missing Ships†, â€Å"Hoodoo Sea†, â€Å"Triangle Of Death†, â€Å"and â€Å"Limboo Of the Lost† but the most famous name is â€Å"The Devil's Triangle,†(TDT). They call it that because many people came up with the theory that the devil is at play and has a lot to do with the deaths within the Bermuda Triangle area.However others think that it's a black hole sucking the ships into another dimension or others theories state that the lost city of Atlantis and possibly UFO's (Unidentified Flying Object) have a lot to do with the disappearances. Many people have different answers but who are we to say if it's true or not . There has been record of proof to show that someone has survived a wreck in the Bermuda Triangle. People pass through The Bermuda Triangle everyday and come home alive (Cary Gordon) her plane lost control when flying over the Bermuda Triangle and sh e was able to control the plane and land it in Miami in 2007.There is still unknown information left unsolved about the Bermuda Triangle and many people are willing to continue their research until they find out the real mystery of the Bermuda Triangle. There has been stories of how the Bermuda Triangle has affected people in a lot of ways like in a book based on the Bermuda Triangle (â€Å"Secrets and Mysteries of the World†)- Author Sylvia Brown wrote that â€Å" My doctor friend reported seeing a pyramid crystal on the top under the water. He tried to get closer to it but was repelled by what seems to be an electric force that went through his body and apparently cured his cancer. In conclusion the Bermuda Triangle has been a social justice issue due to: paranormal activity; the history of it; and how it has effected people in many ways. The Bermuda Triangle is one of the most famous phenomena in history to have as many disappearances ;ship and plane wrecks in the history of wrecks. The Bermuda Triangle will be discussed for years to come due to it's controversy and many different theories. To the mystery is still left unsolved and still will be forever unknown until it has been solved.

Culture Specific Syndrome

ultural Bound Syndromes Culture-bound syndrome The term culture-bound syndrome was included in the fourth version of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (American Psychiatric Association, 2000) which also includes a list of the most common culture-bound conditions (DSM-IV: Appendix I). Included in DSM-IV-TR (4th. ed) the term cultural-bound syndrome denotes recurrent, locality-specific patterns of abnormal behavior and troubling experience that may or may not be linked to a particular DSM-IV-TR diagnostic category.Many of these patterns are naturally considered to be illnesses, or at least afflictions, and most have local names. Although presentations conforming to the major DSM-IV-TR categories can be found throughout the world, the particular symptoms, course, and social response are very often influenced by local cultural factors. In contrast, cultural-bound syndromes are generally limited to specific societies or culture areas and are localized, folk, diagno stic categories that frame coherent meanings for certain repetitive, patterned, and troubling sets of experiences and observations.In medicine, a culture-specific syndrome or culture-bound syndrome is a combination of psychiatric and somatic symptoms that are considered to be a recognizable disease only within a specific society or culture. There are no objective biochemical or structural alterations of body organs or functions, and the disease is not recognized in other cultures. While a substantial portion of mental disorders, in the way they are manifested and experienced, are at least partially conditioned by the culture in which they are found, some disorders are more culture-specific than others.The concept of culture-bound syndromes is very controversial and many psychologists, medical doctors, and anthropologists reject the concept. The identification of culture-specific syndromes: A culture-specific syndrome is characterized by: categorization as a disease in the culture (i . e. , not a voluntary behavior or false claim); widespread familiarity in the culture; complete lack of familiarity of the condition to people in other cultures; no objectively demonstrable biochemical or tissue abnormalities (symptoms); the condition is usually recognized and treated by the folk medicine of the culture.Some culture-specific syndromes involve somatic symptoms (pain or disturbed function of a body part), while others are purely behavioral. Some culture-bound syndromes appear with similar features in several cultures, but with locally-specific traits, such as penis panics. A culture-specific syndrome is not the same as a geographically localized disease with specific, identifiable, causal tissue abnormalities, such as kuru or sleeping sickness, or genetic conditions limited to certain populations.It is possible that a condition originally assumed to be a culture-bound behavioral syndrome is found to have a biological cause; from a medical perspective it would then be redefined into another nosological category. Western medical perspectives: An interesting aspect of culture-specific syndromes is the extent to which they are â€Å"real†. Characterizing them as â€Å"imaginary† is as inaccurate as characterizing them as â€Å"malingering†, but there is no clear way to understand them from a Western scientific perspective.Culture-specific syndromes shed light on how our mind decides that symptoms are connected and how a society defines a known â€Å"disease†. In contrast, culture-bound syndromes are generally limited to specific societies or culture areas and are localized, folk, diagnostic [comma sic] categories that frame coherent meanings for certain repetitive, patterned, and troubling sets of experiences and observations.Medical care of the condition is challenging and illustrates a truly fundamental but rarely discussed aspect of the physician-patient relationship: the need to negotiate a diagnosis that fits the wa y of looking at the body and its diseases of both parties. The physician may do any of the following: Share the way the patient sees the disorder, and offer the folk medicine treatment, recognize it as a culture-bound syndrome, but pretend to share the patient’s perspectives and offer the folk medicine reatment or a new improvised treatment, recognize it as a culture-bound syndrome but try to educate the patient into seeing the condition as the physician sees it. The problem with the first choice is that physicians who pride themselves on their knowledge of disease like to think they know the difference between culture-specific disorders and â€Å"organic† diseases. While the second choice may be the quickest and most comfortable choice, the physician must deliberately deceive the patient.Currently in Western culture this is considered one of the most unethical things a physician can do, whereas in other times and cultures deception with benevolent intent has been an a ccepted tool of treatment. The third choice is the most difficult and time-consuming to do without leaving the patient disappointed, insulted, or lacking confidence in the physician, and may leave both physician and patient haunted by doubts (â€Å"Maybe the condition is real. † or â€Å"Maybe this doctor doesn’t know what s/he is talking about. †).Root-work/Obeah: DSM IV-TR (2000), states that a set of cultural interpretations that ascribe illness to hexing, witchcraft, sorcery, or the evil influence of another person. Symptoms may include generalized anxiety and gastrointestinal complaints (e. g. , nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea), weakness, dizziness, the fear of being poisoned, and sometimes fear of being killed (voodoo death). DSM IV-TR site roots, spells, or hexes can be put or placed on other persons, causing a variety of emotional and psychological problems.The hexed person may even fear death until the root has been taken off, or eliminated usually throu gh the work of the root doctor (a healer in this tradition), who can also be called on to bewitch an enemy. Roots is found in the southern United States among both African-American and European American populations and in the Caribbean societies. Obeah (sometimes spelled â€Å"Obi†) is a term used in the West Indies to refer to folk magic, sorcery, and religious practices derived from Central African and West African origins. Obeah can either be a form of ‘dark' magic or ‘good' magic.As such, Obeah is similar to Palo, Voodoo, Santeria, root-work, and hoodoo. Obeah (another name used in the Caribbean society) is practiced in Suriname, Jamaica, Haiti, the Virgin Islands, Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, and Belize, the Bahamas, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Barbados and many other Caribbean countries. Obeah is associated with both benign and malign magic, charms, luck, and with mysticism in general. In some Caribbean nations Obeah refers to African diasporic folk reli gions; in other areas, Christians may include elements of Obeah in their religion.Obeah is often associated with the Spiritual Baptist church. Origins: In Jamaica, slaves from different areas of Africa were brought into contact, creating some conflicts between those who practiced varying African religions. Those of West African Ashanti descent, who called their priests â€Å"Myal men† (also spelled Mial men), used the Ashanti term â€Å"Obi† or â€Å"Obeah† — meaning â€Å"sorcery† — to describe the practices of slaves of Central African descent. Thus those who worked in a Congo form of folk religion were called â€Å"Obeah men† or â€Å"sorcerers. Obeah also came to mean any physical object, such as a talisman or charm that was used for evil magical purposes. However, despite its fearsome reputation, Obeah, like any other form of folk religion and folk magic, contains many traditions for healing, helping, and bringing about luck in love and money. Elements (key features/symptoms) According to Hughes, Simons &Wintrob, 1997 study, knowledge about a culture-bound syndrome, can address the relationship between the culture-bound syndrome and the more familiar psychiatric disorders, such as those in DSM-IV.These researchers call this the comorbidity question on the assumption that studying the culture-bound syndrome's patterned relationship to psychiatric diagnoses is a more fruitful approach than attempting prematurely to subsume it into the DSM diagnostic categories. Systematic research has identified strong correlations between culture-bound syndromes and criteria for psychiatric disorder, but there is rarely a one-to-one relationship between culture-bound syndrome and psychiatric disorder. The culture-bound syndromes often coexist with a range of psychiatric disorders, as many psychiatric disorders do with each other.The comorbidity question brings culture-bound syndrome research in line with current approaches in psychiatric research. Differences in the symptomatic, emotional, and contextual aspects of cultural syndromes, in turn, may signal different comorbid relationships with psychiatric diagnosis or even the lack of such a relationship. Opinion The extra ordinary addition of culture-bound syndromes in DSM-IV provides the opportunity for improving the need to study such syndromes and the chance for developing a research to study them.The growing ethnic and cultural diversity of the U. S. population presents a challenge to the mental health field to develop truly cross-cultural approaches to mental health research and services. This addition will give researchers the chance to study the relationship between culture-bound syndromes and psychiatric diagnoses. In my opinion a research program based on key questions is still unanswered, which is understanding culture-bound syndromes within their cultural context and to analyze the relationship between these syndromes and psychiatric disorde rs.Reference DSM -IV-TR Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (2000). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (4th ed. ). Washington, DC: Author. Hughes CC, Simons RC, Wintrob RM: The â€Å"Culture-Bound Syndromes† and DSM-IV, in DSM-IV Sourcebook, vol 3. Edited by Widiger TA, Frances AJ, Pincus HA, Ross R, First MB, Davis W. Washington, DC, American Psychiatric Association, 1997, pp 991–1000 Retrieved July 29, 2009 from American Journal of Psychiatry.

Assessors Award: the Principles and Requirements of Assessment

Assessor Award Unit 1 Name. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ Signature†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ Assessor†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ Assessor Signature†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ Date of Professional Discussion†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ Date Completed†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â ‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. Verifier†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. Verifier Signature†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..Date of Verification†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. UNDERSTANDING THE PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICES OF ASSESSMENT 1 – Understand the principles and requirements of assessment 1. 1 & 1. 3 Explain the functions of assessment and your responsibilities as an assessor in the learning and development of your learners. (Include how you identify individual learner needs, how you record achievements and set targets, how you monitor and review your learner development, how you complete formative and summative assessments, how you contribute to quality assurance and best practice) . 2 List and define the key concepts and principles of assessment. (recognition of prior learning, special assessment requirements, skills, knowledge and understanding in relation to the roles of learners, trainers, assessors, organisations/employers during induction and the assessment process) 1. 4 & 8. 1 List the regulations and requirements that relate to your practices in your programme area. (Regulatory bodies and Statute Law) Explain the legal issues, policies and procedures relevant to assessment. 2 – Understand the different types of assessment method . 1 List the performance-based and knowledge-based assessment methods you will use with your learners (individually or in a group) and compare the strengths and limitations for each method. Assessment Method Strengths Limitations 3 – Understand how to plan assessment 3. 1 – What are the key factors you have to consider when planning assessments with your l earners? (Assessment methods planned, recognition of prior learning, addressing regulations, learner/employer needs and timing) 3. 2 & 3. 3 What is a â€Å"holistic approach† to assessment planning?How would you plan a â€Å"holistic approach† and explain the benefits. 3. 4 & 3. 5 Identify the risks that will have to be taken into account when planning assessments in your programme area. How can you minimise these when planning? Risks Actions to minimise 4 – Understand how to involve learners and others in the assessment process 4. 1 & 4. 3 Why is it important to involve learners and other people (peers, managers etc) when planning your assessments? How do you involve others and how can they be used effectively to promote learner involvement? 4. & 4. 3 Why is it important to involve learners and other people (peers, managers etc) when planning your assessments? How do you involve others? 4. 2 List the types of information you provide to your learners. 4. 4 Expla in how you can adapt your assessment planning to meet individual learner needs. 5. 1 – Understand how to make assessment decisions 5. 1 How do you judge whether the evidence is sufficient, authentic and current? 5. 2 When assessing the evidence how do you ensure that your decisions meet specified criteria and are valid, reliable and fair? – Understand quality assurance of the assessment process 6. 1 & 6. 2 Summarise the quality assurance and standardisation procedures in your programme area and why these are important. Procedures Why Important 6. 3 What procedures do you have to follow if there is a dispute in the assessment process? 7 – Understand how to manage information relating to assessment 7. 1 Why is it important that you follow your procedures for the management of information used in the assessment process? Summarise the procedures. 7. Explain the importance in the assessment process of feedback and questioning with your learner. 8 – Understand the legal and good practice requirements in relation to assessment: 8. 1 Explain the legal issues in relation to the following: Confidentiality Health, safety and welfare 8. 2 How does technology contribute to your assessments? 8. 3 Evaluate the requirements for Equality and diversity in relation to assessment 8. 4 Explain why you think it is important to reflect on your practice and development. How is this done in your programme area?

Assignment 3 - individual written format business report an

3 - individual written format business report an organization i would like to work for - Assignment Example BCG has been consistently maintained a top five positions over the years as the best organization. Recently they were ranked third by the fortunes magazine’s 2014 list of â€Å"top 100 companies to work for† (12). There is a lot that goes on before one gets hired at BCG since the expectations are always high, but the experience is just phenomenal. The organization may be small in size, but it casts a relatively large shadow amongst its competitors, mainly McKinsey. This has in turn attracted many admirers in the business world who tend to compare themselves to BCG even though it is a consulting firm. The competition is intense at the organization; an insider says that the organization hires approximately one candidate in over 200 applicants for an associate position. The main secret to the rampant success at BCG has been mainly gaining good strategy projects that require planning and hard work as compared to implementation only. New ideas are highly appreciated in the company. This gives the organization varied approaches to tackle business hurdles. The organization had its downfall in business; in 2001, the global revenue hit a downfall as technological explosion ventured in the business. The event resulted to layoffs, and the organization had to reduce its support staff as well as consulting by 12 percent (WetFeet 38). The strategies employed by BCG may be seen as small, but they have long term solutions to business problems. This has enabled the organization to stay top of its competitors like McKinsey and Bain, even if BCG has less staff compared to the two. Intellectualism has always stood up as the best culture for the organization over the decades. An insider describes the company’s growth as just incredible. At one point, he says he used to know almost everyone in the offices but now there are very many people that he can hardly identify with (WetFeet 36). Despite having all the success and growth, the

Atmospheric-Pressure Plasma Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Atmospheric-Pressure Plasma - Essay Example However, the mechanism of regeneration of tissues through the short-time plasma exposure has not been explicitly revealed as yet in spite of its increased practical application. In order to improve the situation, it may be important to clarify the mechanism from multilateral standpoints including plasma science and engineering, molecular biology, and biochemistry. Therefore, we conducted a basic experiment on the direct irradiation of cells by using micro-spot atmospheric-pressure plasma source, which is hardly harmful to the living bodies both thermally and electromagnetically. In this experiment, murine fibroblast cell line (NIH3T3), which is usually used for cell experiments, was used and effect of plasma on the culture cells was considered. As a result of the experiment, it was revealed that cell multiplication is activated by plasma exposure. In response to the result, we considered factors related to the multiplication. Although there are many factors involved in the cell multi plication, we particularly focused on neoangiogenesis and NO production, and considered vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and acidic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF). Schematic diagram of the experimental apparatus is shown in Fig 1. The apparatus comprised a coaxial structure with tungsten electrodes employed in a glass capillary (internal diameter of plasma genesis region: 8 mm, internal diameter of the tip: 1 mm) with cylindrical electrodes on the exterior. High voltage for plasma generation was generated by externally-controlled high-voltage power supply device. Plasma generation conditions were: applied voltage: 5-9 kV; frequency: 1-3 kHz; helium (He) gas flow rate: 1 L/min; and plasma exposure time: 1-100 sec. It was found in the earlier studies that NO gas is not generated by this apparatus. In the experiment, a culture containing 1 x 105 murine fibroblast cell lines (NIH3T3) was set in a 12-hole culture vessel. It was cultured for 24 hours in a CO2 incubator (culture conditions: temperature: 37 deg. C and CO2 gas concentration: 5%). The medium was replaced with serum-free medium. The unprocessed specimens (control), those processed with He gas flow and others exposed to plasma were compared. Processing time for each specimen group was 1, 10 and 100 sec, respectively. They were cultured for 24 hours in CO2 incubator after plasma exposure and then cell forms were observed with optical microscope. Afterwards, only live cells of NIH3T3 cell line attached to the bottom face of the culture vessel were peeled off by trypsin treatment and the number of cells under each condition was counted, followed by consideration of multiplication rate changes among the conditions. In addition to that, they were continuously cultured for 7 days in NIH3T3 cell line. Differences in the cell multiplication curves of specimens exposed to plasma for 90 sec per day and those processed with He gas flow were also considered. With this experiment, we considered the effects o f plasma exposure on cell multiplication based on both the trends of exposure time-dependent cell multiplication and the effects of plasma exposure on cell multiplication. Fig 2 shows cells exposed to the plasma. Culture medium thickness was 6 mm. Plasma was radiated from capillary of 1 mm diameter to cells adhering to 6 cm2 base area at a flow rate of 1 L/min.  

Managing Successful Projects Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Managing Successful Projects - Assignment Example The project management approach outlines more than 40 processes that are necessary for project management and group the processes into distinct process categories and â€Å"Knowledge areas† (Zarafani 2011, 38). The standard’s process categories are â€Å"initiating, planning, executing, monitoring and controlling, and closing† of projects while knowledge bases are â€Å"project integration, scope, time, cost, quality, human resources, communication, risk, and procurement management† (Zarafani 2011, 38). The Knowledge scope has further been extended to include â€Å"project safety, environmental, financial, and claim management† (Zarafani 2011, 38). The approach values project requirements from stakeholders’ perspectives and considers clients’ level of utility, control measures, periodic improvements, and prime management’s initiatives throughout projects. It however deals with a single project at a time (Zarafani 2011, 39). The United Kingdom’s â€Å"Project Management Body of Knowledge,† also known as PM BoK, is another standard approach to project management. The approach is almost a reflection of the United States’ version but identifies 52 subjects that are considered in seven elements of project management. ... ndards, it is distinct and offers elements such as â€Å"customer focus, management responsibility,† role of stakeholders to a project, quality, and periodic improvements during a project’s lifestyle (Zarafani 2011, 40). The â€Å"Competency Standards for Project Management† from Australia is another standard approach to managing project. It derives its basis from the American model but incorporates standards to ensure compliance with professionally approved procedures (Zarafani 2011, 40). PRINCE is another standard approach to project management. It identifies universality in project implementation efforts subject to specified conditions. It must be â€Å"successfully used everywhere,† must be â€Å"robust, internally consistent and free from evident fault,† is clear and easy to understand, and is â€Å"viable,† â€Å"scalable,† and â€Å"relevant† (Roberts 2013, p. 20). I have taken the United States based PRINCE approach. My choice is based on the approach’s constructs that guarantees success and efficiency besides its clarity, simplicity, and predetermined viability, scalability and relevance (Roberts 2013, p. 20). The process of developing an effective project management environment No standardized strategy exists for developing an effective project management environment. Processes for motivating members of a project team can however develop a motivated team and an effective environment for implementing a project. This can however be achieved through a comprehensive approach that meet team members’ needs such as ensuring â€Å"interesting and challenging work,† â€Å"professionally stimulating work environment,† ensuring strong leadership and growth among team members, developing interpersonal potentials, defining responsibility and restricting dynamism of involved