Tuesday, August 25, 2020

The Invention of Radio Technology

The Invention of Radio Technology Radio owes its improvement to two different creations: the message and the telephone. All three advancements are firmly related, and radio innovation really started as remote telecommunication. The term radio can allude to either the electronic machine that we tune in with or to the substance that plays from it. Regardless, everything began with the revelation of radio waves-electromagnetic waves that have the ability to transmit music, discourse, pictures, and other information imperceptibly through the air. Numerous gadgets work by utilizing electromagnetic waves, including radios, microwaves, cordless telephones, remote controlled toys, TVs, and the sky is the limit from there. The Roots of Radio Scottish physicist James Clerk Maxwell originally anticipated the presence of radio waves during the 1860s. In 1886, German physicist Heinrich Rudolph Hertz exhibited that fast varieties of electric flow could be anticipated into space as radio waves, like light waves and warmth waves. In 1866, Mahlon Loomis, an American dental specialist, effectively exhibited remote telecommunication. Loomis had the option to make a meter associated with a kite cause a meter associated with another close by kite to move. Thisâ marked the principal known case of remote ethereal correspondence. Be that as it may, it was Guglielmo Marconi, an Italian innovator, who demonstrated the attainability of radio correspondence. He sent and got his first radio sign in Italy in 1895. In 1899, he flashed the principal remote sign over the English Channel, and after two years got the letter S, which was transmitted from England to Newfoundland (presently part of Canada). This was the primary effective transoceanic radiotelegraph message. Notwithstanding Marconi, two of his contemporaries, Nikola Tesla and Nathan Stufflefield, took out licenses for remote radio transmitters. Nikola Tesla is currently attributed with being the principal individual to patent radio innovation. The Supreme Court toppled Marconis patent in 1943 for Teslas. The Invention of Radiotelegraphy Radiotelegraphy is the sending by radio influxes of a similar speck run message (Morse code) utilized by broadcasts. Transmitters, when the new century rolled over, were known as flash hole machines. They were grown principally for transport to-shore and boat to-send correspondence. This type of radiotelegraphy considered basic correspondence between two focuses. Be that as it may, it was not open radio telecom as we probably am aware it today. The utilization of remote flagging expanded after it was end up being viable in correspondence for salvage work adrift. Before long various sea liners even introduced remote hardware. In 1899, the United States Army set up remote interchanges with a lightship off Fire Island, New York. After two years, the Navy embraced a remote framework. Up untilâ then, the Navy had been utilizing visual flagging and homing pigeons for correspondence. In 1901, radiotelegraph administration was built up between five Hawaiian Islands. In 1903, a Marconi station situated in Wellfleet, Massachusetts,â carried a trade between President Theodore Roosevelt and King Edward VII. In 1905, the maritime skirmish of Port Arthur in the Russo-Japanese war was accounted for by remote. Furthermore, in 1906, the U.S. Climate Bureau explored different avenues regarding radiotelegraphy to accelerate notice of climate conditions. Robert E. Peary, an ice pilgrim, radiotelegraphed I found the Pole in 1909. After a year, Marconi set up normal American-European radiotelegraph administration, which a while later empowered a got away from British killer to be caught on the high oceans. In 1912, the first transpacific radiotelegraph administration was established,â linking San Francisco with Hawaii. In the interim, abroad radiotelegraph administration grew gradually, fundamentally on the grounds that the underlying radiotelegraph transmitter was shaky and caused a high measure of impedance. The Alexanderson high-recurrence alternator and the De Forest cylinder in the long run settled a considerable lot of these early specialized issues. The Advent of Space Telegraphy Lee de Forest was the innovator of room telecommunication, the triode enhancer, and the Audion, an intensifying vacuum tube. In the mid 1900s, the improvement of radio was hampered by the absence of an effective identifier of electromagnetic radiation. It was De Forest who gave that indicator. His innovation made it conceivable to intensify the radio recurrence signal got by recieving wires. This took into consideration the utilization of a lot more vulnerable signs than had recently been conceivable. De Forest was additionally the principal individual to utilize the word radio. The aftereffect of Lee de Forests work was the innovation of sufficiency balanced or AM radio, which took into account a large number of radio broadcasts. It was a gigantic improvement over the prior sparkle hole transmitters. Genuine Broadcasting Begins In 1915, discourse was first transmitted by radio over the mainland from New York City to San Francisco and over the Atlantic Ocean. After five years, Westinghouses KDKA-Pittsburgh broadcastedâ the Harding-Cox political decision returns and started a day by day calendar of radio projects. In 1927, business radiotelephonyâ service connecting North America and Europe was opened. In 1935, the main call was made the world over utilizing a blend of wire and radio circuits. Edwin Howard Armstrongâ invented recurrence tweaked or FM radio in 1933. FM improved the sound sign of radio by controlling the clamor static brought about by electrical hardware and the earths climate. Until 1936, all American transoceanic phone correspondence must be steered through England. That year, an immediate radiotelephone circuit was opened to Paris. In 1965, the first Master FM Antenna systemâ in the world, intended to permit singular FM stations to communicate at the same time from one source, was raised on the Empire State Building in New York City.

Saturday, August 22, 2020

Income Tax Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Annual Tax - Coursework Example 2. Wages and pay rates was made out of: †¨Salary taken by Ronni,  £25,000 †¨Wages paid to Bryn (Ronni’s father) for work done to fix bikes, at a pace of  £20 every hour (30 hrs x 48 weeks) =  £28,800 †¨Wages paid to partner bike repairer at a pace of  £15 every hour (30 hrs x 48 weeks) =  £21,600 †¨Casual help in shop,  £5,400 †¨Ã¢â‚¬ ¨ 4. Fixes and recharges was made out of: †¨Repairs to stockroom floor  £850 †¨Repairs to level above shop  £750 †¨Cleaning materials  £300 †¨Cleaning contract for shop and workshop †¨Ã¢ £500 †¨Sundry little things  £250 †¨Ã¢â‚¬ ¨Ã¢â‚¬ ¨Ã¢â‚¬ ¨ 5. Engine Expenses fundamentally for the expense of running Ronni’s domain vehicle utilized for gathering/conveying broken/repaired bikes and for moving things for the shop from the money and convey outlet. Private utilization of the vehicle had been concurred at 30%. †¨Diesel fuel, vehicle  £8500 †¨Insurance for vehicle  £1200 †¨Repairs, vehicle  £350 †¨Road subsidize charge, vehicle  £375 †¨Rental of van  £600 †¨Ã¢â‚¬ ¨ 7. Various costs of were made out of: †¨Subscription to magazine, ‘Cycling Today’ †¨Ã¢ £100 †¨Subscription to Green gathering  £50 †¨Subscription to ‘New Transport Systems’ †¨Ã¢ £24 †¨Sponsorship of neighborhood junior school cycling capability grants  £50 †¨Donation to Green gathering  £25 †¨Donation to nearby medical clinic A&E division (Ronni had a mishap and broke her arm)  £100 †¨Ã¢â‚¬ ¨Postage, writing material and phone costs  £100 †¨Ã¢â‚¬ ¨Accountancy charges  £80 †¨Sundry different things  £100†¨Ã¢â‚¬ ¨ Ascertain the available exchanging benefit for Ronni’s business for the year finished 30 September 2011. †¨You ought to give your own information where none is given, guaranteeing that you hold an available exchanging benefit (for example not an exchanging misfortune) and ought to guarantee that you pick information that will completely exhibit your insight into tax assessment. Figure the Income charge payable by Ronni for the assessment year 2011/12, giving your own information where none is given, to completely show your insight

Monday, August 10, 2020

Turning the Tide

Turning the Tide A few months ago the Making Caring Common Project at the Harvard Graduate School of Education released a report entitled “Turning the Tide: Inspiring Concern for Others and the Common Good through College Admissions,” which talks about ways the college admissions process might “promote greater ethical engagement among aspiring students, reduce excessive achievement pressure, and level the playing field for economically disadvantaged students.” I was very pleased to endorse the report, along with more than 100 of my admissions colleagues at colleges around the country. I think it is a very strong report that will help prospective students and their families by clarifying the expectations that admissions officers have of students â€" and more important, by clarifying what we do not expect. I believe there has been a growing mismatch between what students think they need to do to be strong applicants, and what they actually need to do. In simple terms, we want students to pursue the things that interest them with energy and enthusiasm. We want students to make decisions that are educationally sound for them to best prepare them to succeed in college and beyond. We want students to challenge themselves appropriately in the areas that are most interesting to them. We want students to engage with their community in their pursuits. And, we want students who demonstrate strong ethical character. In short, we want young people to be students and community members first, and applicants second. We don’t want students to do things just because they think they have to. We don’t want students to take advanced classes out of a sense of competition, rather than the joy of learning. We don’t want a laundry list of a million activities. And we don’t want students sacrificing quality for quantity â€" something that is happening far too often. We also don’t want students who have other responsibilities â€" such as taking care of siblings after school or working 20-30 hours a week to support their family â€" or who come from school districts with limited resources and fewer advanced course offerings to feel like they are not going to be strongly considered for admission because of their circumstances. And we don’t want this push for quantity to crowd out interest in the common good. Because when you get to college â€" this is especially true at MIT â€" engaging and collaborating with others is the foundation of our culture and community. Oftentimes we’re asked, what do you really expect of applicants? What specific classes should I take or activities should I be involved in? There is no one answer to this question. At MIT, we admitted 1,511 students this year, and none of them were exactly alike. However, all 1,511 were a great match for MIT. In recent years MIT has strived to emphasize many of the ideas and recommendations highlighted in the Turning the Tide report, and I have heard from current and prospective MIT students and parents, saying how appreciative they are of our efforts. MIT’s mission is to use science, technology, and other areas of scholarship for the betterment of society and we select students who exemplify and will help serve this mission. I have also heard from some who have questions about the report and what our endorsement of it will mean in practice for our admissions process, and I thought I would address those topics here. I think there is a lot of excitement about the prospect of a more transparent admissions process and our “turning down the heat” on students, but also some skepticism as to whether we can actually do it. Our commitment to academic excellence will not waver. We are still looking for students to challenge themselves and stretch themselves, academically and personally. The fact that I have received these questions, however, points out how much quantity and volume have become equated with challenge and excellence. And that is exactly what we are trying to dispel. I believe that quantity and volume can work against excellence. Students who stretch themselves too thin actually learn less than they might if they were more focused. Some have asked if this means we will admit students with lower grades and test scores if they have demonstrated strong commitment to their communities. In fact, this is the very definition of holistic admissions , and we have always looked at students in their entirety. It is true that the academic bar is set very high for MIT, and students have to have very good grades and test scores to demonstrate their ability to handle MIT’s rigorous curriculum, but they don’t have to be perfect and our decisions are made looking at the whole student and their match with MIT. It will not be easier to be admitted to MIT. Our commitment to the principles outlined in the report does not add more space to campus. We remain committed to admitting students with strong academics who are aligned with MIT’s culture, mission, and values. Our admission rate is simply a reality of the number of applicants we have and the limited space on campus. And the fact that we have to turn away very many outstanding applicants doesn’t mean those applicants were not qualified or well-matched for MIT and doing all the right things. In fact, the Turning the Tide report encourages students to worry less about this question. Half a century ago, B. Alden Thresher, MIT’s first admissions director, cautioned students against over worrying about where they went to college, saying a student should not “think of education as something beneficial that will be done to him [sic], [as much as] something he gets for himself [sic].” Indeed, the ultimate goal for a student should not be trying to get into a specific college, but to do things most beneficial for themself as a person and citizen. Whether a student has a great college experience or not is really up to the efforts and outlook that they bring with them. This points out how important the direction of decision-making is for students. A student should first decide what they are interested in, then decide on what classes and activities to pursue, and only then think about which colleges would be a great fit. Too many students go backwards, thinking about the college first, and that is not a recipe for success. At MIT, standardized tests and challenging coursework will continue to be important in our process. Standardized tests provide an important service for us and our students, and we plan to use them the same way we currently do â€" not in a system of strict cutoffs, but as one of many parts of a contextual, holistic review. I know there are many skeptics as to the value of standardized tests, and I know their value can vary at different institutions, but at MIT, we have found that standardized tests and grades are predictive of success in our challenging curriculum. While we know the tests are not perfect, they do provide an informative and consistent measure of a student’s academic potential in a world where high school experiences vary so widely. The tests allow us to admit students from across the country â€" and the globe â€" for whom we will have high confidence that they will thrive and succeed at MIT; for we care deeply about not only admitting great students, but also ensuring and supporting their success throughout their college career. All that said, I do think that students stress out over their test scores more than they should. In the college admissions process, they are one factor of many, and small differences in scores don’t matter like students think they do. While we expect students to challenge themselves, we do not expect students to challenge themselves in all areas. We do expect academic excellence, and looking at a student’s transcript â€" the choice of classes they took and the grades they achieved â€" is of primary importance. But in recent years, to align with our actual practice, we have moved our language from saying that we want students to take “the most rigorous classes available to them,” to saying we want them to take “the most rigorous classes available in the subjects that most interest them,” not across the board. I wrote an op-ed piece about this a few years ago, and we mean it â€" we are careful that our selection process is aligned with this. Additionally, while we expect students to have good grades, they don’t have to be perfect. Some students thrive on the challenge of taking many advanced classes, and for them that is an appropriate choice. Students should be confident in whatever educational choice they make that is best for them. The number of advanced classes a student takes is never the reason why he or she was (or was not) admitted. Students should pursue the things they love, but it is okay if you haven’t found what you love yet. We want students to pursue the things that interest them. For some students, this might mean pursuing one activity or set of closely related activities in some real depth. For other students, it might mean being involved in a larger array of activities. We have no preference: instead, we look for the energy and attitude that students bring to their pursuits when we make our evaluations. This does bring up an area where colleges have to be more careful with our language. Often students are told that colleges prefer students who “demonstrate a deep commitment” to an activity. This language can be harmful, as it might make a student reluctant to drop one activity in pursuit of another. Students should commit to whatever activity they are doing while they are doing it, but they should feel free to explore different activities without worrying about whether it will hurt their chances of admission to a selective college. We want to broaden the definition of “community service” to encompass a deeper sense of intellectual and ethical engagement. Community service has become an “activity” these days, in the same way that sports or an academic club is an activity, and is often marked by the phrase, “I have to go do my community service.” We want to broaden the definition. We do not just look at the activity that a student engages in as much as the general outlook and commitment to others that a student displays. Certainly, a student can demonstrate this in a traditional community service activity, such as volunteering in a local community organization, and this is a great thing to do. But we will also consider what kind of a citizen a student is: if they know the material well in a class, will they help others who are struggling? Do they take care of other family members? Do they have a genuine commitment to helping others, or are they doing things simply to look good on the application? The essay question on our application where we ask about this never mentions the phrase “community service,” but asks students to tell us about how they have improved the lives of others in their community. And it’s not the magnitude that counts as much as the intention and character of the student. I believe this is more important than ever before. The world is more globally connected, and we are living in the most multicultural, multiracial, multiethnic America ever and it is vital that we are supporting our communities in meaningful ways so that we can create a society in which everyone can thrive and succeed. From what I have seen of students enrolling at MIT, students today are very much interested in the common good. My experience with students at MIT is that they are deeply committed to service. However, the report cites evidence that the pressures on students have caused them to be less engaged in the common good. This may be due to the mixed messages that colleges and universities are sending students, which have left students with difficult choices and moved them to consider individual achievement over investment in the common good. It is my hope that this report will clarify our actual expectations to remove these pressures on students. In response to the report and the issues it addresses, we have made changes to our process. I believe for many years we have consistently tried to send the message to students that quality is more important than quantity and that engagement with others is important. As I mentioned above, I think the power in this report is that colleges are collectively endorsing its messages, banding together to speak with one voice to send this message in the hopes that it will take hold. For our part, beyond just talking about this, we have taken some concrete steps to send this message to our applicants. More than ten years ago, we reduced the number of spaces for students to list their extracurricular activities from 10 to 5, because we felt we were inadvertently sending the message that students had to have 10. And, inspired by this report, we changed one of our essay questions for last year’s application. The question allowed students to tell us how they improve the lives of those around them: At MIT, we seek to develop in each member of our community the ability and passion to work collaboratively for the betterment of humankind. How have you improved the lives of others in your community? (This could be one person or many, at school or at home, in your neighborhood or your state, etc.) And we continually ensure that our admissions decisions align with our messages and our values. How will we know if the messages in the report will have a positive impact? The Turning the Tide report is the first step in bringing colleges together to be more thoughtful communicators and more transparent about what we are looking for when we select students. It is only a first step, and one that has already sparked important dialogue about the process and how it is practiced. The real test will come over time, if it is clear that the admissions decisions that colleges and universities make are aligned with what we say and what we believe. It is my hope that students will not do things because they think they have to only to serve the college admissions process, but that they will feel empowered to explore and pursue the things that interest them, to make those around them better, and to have fun.

Saturday, May 23, 2020

Religion As A Source Of Comfort . In 1682, Mary Rowlandson

Religion as a Source of Comfort In 1682, Mary Rowlandson published her captivity narrative, the most famous in early American Literature. Mary Rowlandson s captivity greatly substantiated her religious beliefs in God. Her major strategy for survival during her eleven week captivity consisted of beliefs that God had a plan for everything, and would protect her through all obstacles. In times of doubt, she would turn to her Bible and rejoice that god was looking out for her. She believed that if she waited out her time, and allowed for God to do what He intended, she would eventually go back to living a normal life, and would not be held in captivity forever. With this strategy Mary Rowlandson is able to remain calm through many†¦show more content†¦Soon after being held in captivity, Mary Rowlandson’s attitude started changing from hopeless to hopeful; â€Å"Oh, I may see the wonderful power of God, that my Spirit did not utterly sink under my affliction: still the Lo rd upheld me with His gracious and merciful spirit, and we were both alive to see the light of the next morning† (Rowlandson 131). Here Rowlandson is talking about how she is able to keep her spirit up even though her daughter is extremely sick and she has no friends to comfort her. She claims she is able to do this because of the great power of God. It seems like her mind is being uplifted by the thought of God, and she is able to focus on the good things she still has in life. I believe without her religious beliefs keeping her mentally healthy throughout all of her hardships, she would have never been able to handle her captivity as well as she did. Even after her daughter died, she is still able to keep herself together; â€Å"I have thought since of the wonderful goodness of God to me in preserving me in the use of my reason and senses in that distressed time, that I did not use wicked and violent means to end my own miserable life† (Rowlandson 132). She recognizes looking back that she could have easily decided to take her own life after losing her daughter at such a young and helpless age. It is God who protected her and kept her from doing anything bad to herself at such a low pointShow MoreRelatedMary Rowlandson vs Anne Bradstreet Essay994 Words   |  4 PagesMary Rowlandson and Anne Bradstreet are two women with different stories and one similar faith. Their similar faith in God and passion for writing allowed the two women to survive the contrast of hardships each woman had to endure. Furthermore, in this essay, I will compare and contrast the lives and faith of Rowlandson and Bradstreet. In the story â€Å"Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson† written by Mary Rowlandson herself, we read that she is taken captive by a groupRead MoreEssay about A Mercy Notes4980 Words   |  20 Pagesservant; Rebekkah is indifferent, as the girl seems half-witted; but Lina believes Sorrow to be bad luck.       1682   After borrowing money and investing it in slave-trading, D’Ortega’s ship goes down with all his cargo. He summons Jacob to his estate in Maryland, to try to square the debt without actually paying Jacob.   Jacob visits D’Ortega, acquires Florens. He believes Florens will comfort Rebekkah, whose babies have died. During the trip, he hears about investing in sugarcane (rum) in Barbados;

Tuesday, May 12, 2020

Uncertainty Reduction Theory Of Health Communication

Uncertainty Reduction Theory in Health Communication Interpersonal communication comprises a basic element of healthcare service. It occurs through the processes of symbolic interaction, social penetration, and uncertainty reduction between two or more individuals. In medical practice, these fundamental components intertwine toward meeting a patient’s physical, psychological, and social needs. Thus, effective utilization of communication theories can dramatically improve quality of patient-care services and potentially reduce costs in healthcare and insurance. This paper explores one of theories in interpersonal communication — Uncertainty Reduction Theory (URT) — and seeks ways to apply URT for the advancement of health communication. All human relationships pose communication challenges. Attempting to resolve the key cognitive and behavioral obstacles with initial encounters, Professor Charles Burger and a colleague, Richard Calabrese, founded URT in 1975. The theory’s key principle posits that â€Å"†¦during initial interactions, our lack of knowledge about another person causes us to be uneasy or uncomfortable†¦therefore†¦[we seek] to find ways to reduce†¦uncertainty [and increase predictability].† Burger proposes three phases to articulate the URT hypothesis: Initial, Personal, and Exit in the expansion of interpersonal interaction. During the Initial phase, the interactants share very limited information, regulated strictly by social norms. The Personal Phase, the secondShow MoreRelatedAnalysis of the Uncertainty Reduction Theory on Interpersonal Communication1521 Words   |  7 PagesAnalysis of the Uncertainty Reduction theory on interpersonal communication Through this paper I will conduct an analysis of the uncertainty reduction theory and will then apply it to my own experience here in Colorado university. This theory has been subject to many articles and studies in the communication and social departments. Indeed, studying this theory can help us understanding human relations in interpersonal communication. Each of us has been one day confronted to uncertainty, whereas inRead MoreUncertainty Reduction Theory Essay4674 Words   |  19 Pageswith uncertainty reduction theory from its origin to date. Ever since uncertainty reduction theory was first created, many researchers have examined it by comparing it with other theories. Uncertainty reduction theory had been tested across different cultures in order to confirm its generalizability. It had also been applied to real life situations to examine how individuals interact in their initial encounters with strangers. In addition, researchers suggested testing uncertainty reduction theoryRead MoreThe Anxiety / Uncertainty Management Theory Of Effective Communication Essay2054 Words   |  9 PagesThe Anxiety/Uncertainty Management The ory of Effective Communication is to explain how managing uncertainty and anxiety help achieve effective communication with â€Å"strangers†. The theory argues that most of our communication involves both interpersonal and intergroup processes, but communication with outgroup members has more intergroup than interpersonal factors, which causes higher uncertainty and anxiety. Managing uncertainty and anxiety is a main contribution to effective communication (e.g., measuredRead MoreEssay On Diabetes1438 Words   |  6 Pages Program Narrative: Obesity and Diabetes Reduction in Alexandria Student’s Name Institution Affiliation Program Narrative: Obesity and Diabetes Reduction in Alexandria Introduction Obesity and diabetes are serious public health problems that have far reaching health and economic consequences. In the US, and the world over, obesity and diabetes have reached epidemic proportions (Acton, 2013). For instance, the annual medical costs for obesity in the US was approximately $145 billionRead MoreQuiz Final1582 Words   |  7 PagesUniversity of Phoenix Faculty Material Communication Quiz Final- Rosemary Clarke Underline the best answers to the following 30 multiple choice questions. Multiple Choice 1. COMMUNICATION IS DEFINED AS a. the sense that people extract from a message b. the social process in which individuals employ symbols to establish and interpret meaning in their environment c. the perceived rightness or wrongness of an action d. the ability to transmit ones ethical decisions through proper channels 2. TheRead MoreChronic Diseases Are The Leading Cause Of Death And Disability1586 Words   |  7 PagesAccording to the World health organization , chronic diseases take the lives of more than 30 million people each year and are defined as an illness that is long in duration, slow in progression and is not passed from person to person. For Australia alone chronic diseases are the leading cause of death and disability. The Australian department of healths defining factors of chronic disease include, illness that is prolonged in duration, rarely cured completely and disease that does not often resolveRead MoreSelf Disclosure : The World Wide Web Essay1789 Words   |  8 Pageswith millions of people at the same time (Bazarova Choi, 2014), and it has become a socially acceptable place for people to meet their significant other. (Kang Hoffman, 2011) It is said that people prefer computer-mediated communication over face-to-face communication to find a romantic partner because of a th at lack of face-to-face interaction, (Kang Hoffman, 2011) Self-disclosure can be defined as the amount of information that one shares with another person, it is essential to the developmentRead MoreRisk Information Seeking And Processing Model Literature Review1557 Words   |  7 Pagesplays in risk communication, focusing on audience motivations and capacity to make sense of risk, and hopefully predict their response to risk messages. This literature review provides an overview and history of the RISP model, and discusses the future of the theory. Historical Underpinnings of the RISP Model The RISP model takes concepts from two existing and largely researched models in their own rights, the Heuristic-Systematic Model (HSM) (Eagly Chaiken, 1993) and the Theory of Planned BehaviorRead MoreSummary Communication Theory13084 Words   |  53 PagesIntroduction to Communication Theory: Course Summary Chapter 1: Launching your study What is a theory? What distinguishes a good theory from a bad theory? A theory is a set of systematic informed hunches about the way things work. A good theory goes beyond accepted wisdom and offers explanations and speculations about phenomena. Additionally, a good theory consists of a system of concepts which means that the theorist were able to make connections among his ideas. A theory tends to shapeRead MoreThe Importance Of Bloodstream Infections1263 Words   |  6 PagesCLABSIs to the National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) of the Center for Disease Control (CDC-2011). When a nurse manually disinfecting the hub catheter with 70% alcohol and/or chlorhexidine, povidone iodine this continues to remain a low with the uncertainty of duration and compliance of patient safety practice according to the hospitals recommended scrubbing (15-60 secs) and drying times (30 secs). Implementing new and effective tools beyond the standard, monitoring its compliance and instituting

Wednesday, May 6, 2020

The Lost Symbol Chapter 71-75 Free Essays

string(71) " a side door of the Adams Building and out into the cold winter night\." CHAPTER 71 Mal’akh stood naked in the billowing warmth of his steam shower. He felt pure again, having washed off the last remaining scent of ethanol. As the eucalyptus-infused vapors permeated his skin, he could feel his pores opening to the heat. We will write a custom essay sample on The Lost Symbol Chapter 71-75 or any similar topic only for you Order Now Then he began his ritual. First, he rubbed depilatory chemicals across his tattooed body and scalp, removing any traces of body hair. Hairless were the gods of the seven islands of Heliades. Then he massaged Abramelin oil into his softened and receptive flesh. Abramelin is the sacred oil of the great Magi. Then he turned his shower lever hard to the left, and the water turned ice cold. He stood beneath the frigid water for a full minute to close his pores and trap the heat and energy within his core. The cold served as a reminder of the icy river in which this transformation had begun. When he stepped from the shower, he was shivering, but within seconds, his core heat emanated up through his layers of flesh and warmed him. Mal’akh’s insides felt like a furnace. He stood naked before the mirror and admired his form . . . perhaps the last time he would see himself as a mere mortal. His feet were the talons of a hawk. His legs–Boaz and Jachin–were the ancient pillars of wisdom. His hips and abdomen were the archways of mystical power. Hanging beneath the archway, his massive sex organ bore the tattooed symbols of his destiny. In another life, this heavy shaft of flesh had been his source of carnal pleasure. But no longer. I have been purified. Like the mystical eunuch monks of Katharoi, Mal’akh had removed his testicles. He had sacrificed his physical potency for a more worthy one. Gods have no gender. Having shed the human imperfection of gender along with the earthly pull of sexual temptation, Mal’akh had become like Ouranos, Attis, Sporus, and the great castrati magicians of Arthurian legend. Every spiritual metamorphosis is preceded by a physical one. Such was the lesson of all the great gods . . . from Osiris, to Tammuz, to Jesus, to Shiva, to the Buddha himself. I must shed the man who clothes me. Abruptly, Mal’akh drew his gaze upward, past the double-headed phoenix on his chest, past the collage of ancient sigils adorning his face, and directly to the top of his head. He tipped his head toward the mirror, barely able to see the circle of bare flesh that waited there. This location on the body was sacred. Known as the fontanel, it was the one area of the human skull that remained open at birth. An oculus to the brain. Although this physiological portal closes within a matter of months, it remains a symbolic vestige of the lost connection between the outer and inner worlds. Mal’akh studied the sacred patch of virginal skin, which was enclosed by the crownlike circle of an ouroboros–a mystical snake devouring its own tail. The bare flesh seemed to stare back at him . . . bright with promise. Robert Langdon soon would uncover the great treasure that Mal’akh required. Once Mal’akh possessed it, the void on top of his head would be filled, and he would at last be prepared for his final transformation. Mal’akh padded across his bedroom and took from his bottom drawer a long strip of white silk. As he had done many times before, he wrapped it around his groin and buttocks. Then he went downstairs. In his office, his computer had received an e-mail message. It was from his contact: WHAT YOU REQUIRE IS NOW WITHIN REACH. I WILL CONTACT YOU WITHIN THE HOUR. PATIENCE. Mal’akh smiled. It was time to make final preparations. CHAPTER 72 The CIA field agent was in a foul mood as he descended from the reading-room balcony. Bellamy lied to us. The agent had seen no heat signatures whatsoever upstairs near the Moses statue, nor anywhere else upstairs for that matter. So where the hell did Langdon go? The agent retraced his steps now to the only place they’d spotted any heat signatures at all–the library’s distribution hub. He descended the stairs again, moving beneath the octagonal console. The noise of the rumbling conveyors was grating. Advancing into the space, he flipped down his thermal goggles and scanned the room. Nothing. He looked toward the stacks, where the mangled door still showed hot from the explosion. Other than that, he saw no– Holy shit! The agent jumped back as an unexpected luminescence drifted into his field of vision. Like a pair of ghosts, the dimly glowing imprints of two humanoids had just emerged from the wall on a conveyor belt. Heat signatures. Stunned, the agent watched as the two apparitions circled the room on the conveyor loop and then disappeared headfirst into a narrow hole in the wall. They rode the conveyor out? That’s insanity. In addition to realizing they had just lost Robert Langdon through a hole in the wall, the field agent was now aware that he had another problem. Langdon’s not alone? He was just about to switch on his transceiver and call the team leader, but the team leader beat him to it. â€Å"All points, we’ve got an abandoned Volvo on the plaza in front of the library. Registered to one Katherine Solomon. Eyewitness says she entered the library not long ago. We suspect she’s with Robert Langdon. Director Sato has ordered that we find them both immediately.† â€Å"I’ve got heat signatures for both of them!† shouted the field agent in the distribution room. He explained the situation. â€Å"For Christ’s sake!† the team leader replied. â€Å"Where the hell does the conveyor go?† The field agent was already consulting the employee reference schematic on the bulletin board. â€Å"Adams Building,† he replied. â€Å"One block from here.† â€Å"All points. Redirect to the Adams Building! NOW!† CHAPTER 73 Sanctuary. Answers. The words echoed in Langdon’s mind as he and Katherine burst through a side door of the Adams Building and out into the cold winter night. You read "The Lost Symbol Chapter 71-75" in category "Essay examples" The mysterious caller had conveyed his location cryptically, but Langdon had understood. Katherine’s reaction to their destination had been surprisingly sanguine: Where better to find One True God? Now the question was how to get there. Langdon spun in place, trying to get his bearings. It was dark, but thankfully the weather had cleared. They were standing in a small courtyard. In the distance, the Capitol Dome looked startlingly far away, and Langdon realized this was the first moment he had stepped outside since arriving at the Capitol several hours ago. So much for my lecture. â€Å"Robert, look.† Katherine pointed toward the silhouette of the Jefferson Building. Langdon’s first reaction on seeing the building was astonishment that they had traveled so far underground on a conveyor belt. His second reaction, however, was alarm. The Jefferson Building was now abuzz with activity–trucks and cars pulling in, men shouting. Is that a searchlight? Langdon grabbed Katherine’s hand. â€Å"Come on.† They ran northeast across the courtyard, quickly disappearing from view behind an elegant U- shaped building, which Langdon realized was the Folger Shakespeare Library. This particular building seemed appropriate camouflage for them tonight, as it housed the original Latin manuscript of Francis Bacon’s New Atlantis, the utopian vision on which the American forefathers had allegedly modeled a new world based on ancient knowledge. Even so, Langdon would not be stopping. We need a cab. They arrived at the corner of Third Street and East Capitol. The traffic was sparse, and Langdon felt fading hope as he scanned for taxis. He and Katherine hurried northward on Third Street, putting distance between themselves and the Library of Congress. It was not until they had gone an entire block that Langdon finally spotted a cab rounding the corner. He flagged it down, and the cab pulled over. Middle Eastern music played on his radio, and the young Arab driver gave them a friendly smile. â€Å"Where to?† the driver asked as they jumped into the car. â€Å"We need to go to–â€Å" â€Å"Northwest!† Katherine interjected, pointing up Third Street away from the Jefferson Building. â€Å"Drive toward Union Station, then left on Massachusetts Avenue. We’ll tell you when to stop.† The driver shrugged, closed the Plexiglas divider, and turned his music back on. Katherine shot Langdon an admonishing look as if to say: â€Å"Leave no trail.† She pointed out the window, directing Langdon’s attention to a black helicopter that was skimming in low, approaching the area. Shit. Sato was apparently dead serious about recovering Solomon’s pyramid. As they watched the helicopter land between the Jefferson and Adams buildings, Katherine turned to him, looking increasingly worried. â€Å"Can I see your cell phone for a second?† Langdon handed her his phone. â€Å"Peter told me you have an eidetic memory?† she said, rolling down her window. â€Å"And that you remember every phone number you’ve ever dialed?† â€Å"That’s true, but–â€Å" Katherine hurled his phone out into the night. Langdon spun in his seat and watched as his cell phone cartwheeled and splintered into pieces on the pavement behind them. â€Å"Why did you do that!† â€Å"Off the grid,† Katherine said, her eyes grave. â€Å"This pyramid is our only hope of finding my brother, and I have no intention of letting the CIA steal it from us.† In the front seat, Omar Amirana bobbed his head and hummed along with his music. Tonight had been slow, and he felt blessed to finally have a fare. His cab was just passing Stanton Park, when the familiar voice of his company dispatcher crackled over the radio. â€Å"This is Dispatch. All vehicles in the area of the National Mall. We have just received a bulletin from government authorities regarding two fugitives in the area of the Adams Building . . .† Omar listened in amazement as Dispatch described the precise couple in his cab. He stole an uneasy glance in his rearview mirror. Omar had to admit, the tall guy did look familiar somehow. Did I see him on America’s Most Wanted? Gingerly, Omar reached for his radio handset. â€Å"Dispatch?† he said, speaking quietly into the transceiver. â€Å"This is cab one-three-four. The two people you asked about–they are in my cab . . . right now.† Dispatch immediately advised Omar what to do. Omar’s hands were trembling as he called the phone number Dispatch had given him. The voice that answered was tight and efficient, like that of a soldier. â€Å"This is Agent Turner Simkins, CIA field ops. Who is this?† â€Å"Um . . . I’m the taxi driver?† Omar said. â€Å"I was told to call about the two–â€Å" â€Å"Are the fugitives currently in your vehicle? Answer only yes or no.† â€Å"Yes.† â€Å"Can they hear this conversation? Yes or no?† â€Å"No. The slider is–â€Å" â€Å"Where are you taking them?† â€Å"Northwest on Massachusetts.† â€Å"Specific destination?† â€Å"They didn’t say.† The agent hesitated. â€Å"Is the male passenger carrying a leather bag?† Omar glanced in the rearview mirror, and his eyes went wide. â€Å"Yes! That bag doesn’t have explosives or anything in–â€Å" â€Å"Listen carefully,† the agent said. â€Å"You are in no danger so long as you follow my directions exactly. Is that clear?† â€Å"Yes, sir.† â€Å"What is your name?† â€Å"Omar,† he said, breaking a sweat. â€Å"Listen, Omar,† the man said calmly. â€Å"You’re doing great. I want you to drive as slowly as possible while I get my team out in front of you. Do you understand?† â€Å"Yes, sir.† â€Å"Also, is your cab equipped with an intercom system so you can communicate with them in the backseat?† â€Å"Yes, sir.† â€Å"Good. Here’s what I want you to do.† CHAPTER 74 The Jungle, as it is known, is the centerpiece of the U.S. Botanic Garden (USBG)–America’s living museum–located adjacent to the U.S. Capitol Building. Technically a rain forest, the Jungle is housed in a towering greenhouse, complete with soaring rubber trees, strangler figs, and a canopy catwalk for more daring tourists. Normally, Warren Bellamy felt nurtured by the Jungle’s earthy smells and the sunlight glinting through the mist that filtered down from the vapor nozzles in the glass ceiling. Tonight, however, lit only by moonlight, the Jungle terrified him. He was sweating profusely, writhing against the cramps that now stabbed at his arms, still pinned painfully behind him. Director Sato paced before him, puffing calmly on her cigarette–the equivalent of ecoterrorism in this carefully calibrated environment. Her face looked almost demonic in the smoke-filled moonlight that streamed down through the glass ceiling overhead. â€Å"So then,† Sato continued, â€Å"when you arrived at the Capitol tonight, and you discovered that I was already there . . . you made a decision. Rather than making your presence known to me, you descended quietly into the SBB, where, at great risk to yourself, you attacked Chief Anderson and myself, and you helped Langdon escape with the pyramid and capstone.† She rubbed her shoulder. â€Å"An interesting choice.† A choice I would make again, Bellamy thought. â€Å"Where is Peter?† he demanded angrily. â€Å"How would I know?† Sato said. â€Å"You seem to know everything else!† Bellamy fired back at her, making no attempt to hide his suspicion that she was somehow behind all this. â€Å"You knew to go to the Capitol Building. You knew to find Robert Langdon. And you even knew to X-ray Langdon’s bag to find the capstone. Obviously, someone is giving you a lot of inside information.† Sato laughed coldly and stepped closer to him. â€Å"Mr. Bellamy, is that why you attacked me? Do you think I’m the enemy? Do you think I’m trying to steal your little pyramid?† Sato took a drag on her cigarette and blew the smoke out of her nostrils. â€Å"Listen carefully. No one understands better than I do the importance of keeping secrets. I believe, as you do, that there is certain information to which the masses should not be privy. Tonight, however, there are forces at work that I fear you have not yet grasped. The man who kidnapped Peter Solomon holds enormous power . . . a power that you apparently have yet to realize. Believe me, he is a walking time bomb . . . capable of initiating a series of events that will profoundly change the world as you know it.† â€Å"I don’t understand.† Bellamy shifted on the bench, his arms aching in his handcuffs. â€Å"You don’t need to understand. You need to obey. Right now, my only hope of averting a major disaster is to cooperate with this man . . . and to give him exactly what he wants. Which means, you are going to call Mr. Langdon and tell him to turn himself in, along with the pyramid and capstone. Once Langdon is in my custody, he will decrypt the pyramid’s inscription, obtain whatever information this man is demanding, and provide him with exactly what he wants.† The location of the spiral staircase that leads to the Ancient Mysteries? â€Å"I can’t do that. I’ve taken vows of secrecy.† Sato erupted. â€Å"I don’t give a damn what you’ve vowed, I will throw you in prison so fast–â€Å" â€Å"Threaten me all you like,† Bellamy said defiantly. â€Å"I will not help you.† Sato took a deep breath and spoke now in a fearsome whisper. â€Å"Mr. Bellamy, you have no idea what’s really going on tonight, do you?† The tense silence hung for several seconds, finally broken by the sound of Sato’s phone. She plunged her hand into her pocket and eagerly snatched it out. â€Å"Talk to me,† she answered, listening carefully to the reply. â€Å"Where is their taxi now? How long? Okay, good. Bring them to the U.S. Botanic Garden. Service entrance. And make sure you get me that god-damn pyramid and capstone.† Sato hung up and turned back to Bellamy with a smug smile. â€Å"Well then . . . it seems you’re fast outliving your usefulness.† CHAPTER 75 Robert Langdon stared blankly into space, feeling too tired to urge the slow-moving taxi driver to pick up the pace. Beside him, Katherine had fallen silent, too, looking frustrated by their lack of understanding of what made the pyramid so special. They had again been through everything they knew about the pyramid, the capstone, and the evening’s strange events; they still had no ideas as to how this pyramid could possibly be considered a map to anything at all. Jeova Sanctus Unus? The secret hides within The Order? Their mysterious contact had promised them answers if they could meet him at a specific place. A refuge in Rome, north of the Tiber. Langdon knew the forefathers’ â€Å"new Rome† had been renamed Washington early in her history, and yet vestiges of their original dream remained: the Tiber’s waters still flowed into the Potomac; senators still convened beneath a replica of St. Peter’s dome; and Vulcan and Minerva still watched over the Rotunda’s long-extinguished flame. The answers sought by Langdon and Katherine were apparently waiting for them just a few miles ahead. Northwest on Massachusetts Avenue. Their destination was indeed a refuge . . . north of Washington’s Tiber Creek. Langdon wished the driver would speed up. Abruptly, Katherine jolted upright in her seat, as if she had made a sudden realization. â€Å"Oh my God, Robert!† She turned to him, her face going white. She hesitated a moment and then spoke emphatically. â€Å"We’re going the wrong way!† â€Å"No, this is right,† Langdon countered. â€Å"It’s northwest on Massachu–â€Å" â€Å"No! I mean we’re going to the wrong place!† Langdon was mystified. He had already told Katherine how he knew what location was being described by the mysterious caller. It contains ten stones from Mount Sinai, one from heaven itself, and one with the visage of Luke’s dark father. Only one building on earth could make those claims. And that was exactly where this taxi was headed. â€Å"Katherine, I’m certain the location is correct.† â€Å"No!† she shouted. â€Å"We don’t need to go there anymore. I figured out the pyramid and capstone! I know what this is all about!† Langdon was amazed. â€Å"You understand it?† â€Å"Yes! We have to go to Freedom Plaza instead!† Now Langdon was lost. Freedom Plaza, although nearby, seemed totally irrelevant. â€Å"Jeova Sanctus Unus!† Katherine said. â€Å"The One True God of the Hebrews. The sacred symbol of the Hebrews is the Jewish star–the Seal of Solomon–an important symbol to the Masons!† She fished a dollar bill out of her pocket. â€Å"Give me your pen.† Bewildered, Langdon pulled a pen from his jacket. â€Å"Look.† She spread the bill out on her thigh and took his pen, pointing to the Great Seal on the back. â€Å"If you superimpose Solomon’s seal on the Great Seal of the United States . . .† She drew the symbol of a Jewish star precisely over the pyramid. â€Å"Look what you get!† Langdon looked down at the bill and then back at Katherine as if she were mad. â€Å"Robert, look more closely! Don’t you see what I’m pointing at?† He glanced back at the drawing. What in the world is she getting at? Langdon had seen this image before. It was popular among conspiracy theorists as â€Å"proof† that the Masons held secret influence over our early nation. When the six-pointed star was laid perfectly over the Great Seal of the United States, the star’s top vertex fit perfectly over the Masonic all-seeing eye . . . and, quite eerily, the other five vertices clearly pointed to the letters M-A-S-O-N. â€Å"Katherine, that’s just a coincidence, and I still don’t see how it has anything to do with Freedom Plaza.† â€Å"Look again!† she said, sounding almost angry now. â€Å"You’re not looking where I am pointing! Right there. Don’t you see it?† An instant later, Langdon saw it. CIA field-operations leader Turner Simkins stood outside the Adams Building and pressed his cell phone tightly to his ear, straining to hear the conversation now taking place in the back of the taxi. Something just happened. His team was about to board the modified Sikorsky UH-60 helicopter to head northwest and set up a roadblock, but now it seemed the situation had suddenly changed. Seconds ago, Katherine Solomon had begun insisting they were going to the wrong destination. Her explanation–something about the dollar bill and Jewish stars–made no sense to the team leader, nor, apparently, to Robert Langdon. At least at first. Now, however, Langdon seemed to have grasped her meaning. â€Å"My God, you’re right!† Langdon blurted. â€Å"I didn’t see it earlier!† Suddenly Simkins could hear someone banging on the driver’s divider, and then it slid open. â€Å"Change of plans,† Katherine shouted to the driver. â€Å"Take us to Freedom Plaza!† â€Å"Freedom Plaza?† the cabbie said, sounding nervous. â€Å"Not northwest on Massachusetts?† â€Å"Forget that!† Katherine shouted. â€Å"Freedom Plaza! Go left here! Here! HERE!† Agent Simkins heard the cab screeching around a corner. Katherine was talking excitedly again to Langdon, saying something about the famous bronze cast of the Great Seal embedded in the plaza. â€Å"Ma’am, just to confirm,† the cabbie’s voice interjected, sounding tense. â€Å"We’re going to Freedom Plaza–on the corner of Pennsylvania and Thirteenth?† â€Å"Yes!† Katherine said. â€Å"Hurry!† â€Å"It’s very close. Two minutes.† Simkins smiled. Nicely done, Omar. As he dashed toward the idling helicopter, he shouted to his team. â€Å"We’ve got them! Freedom Plaza! Move!† How to cite The Lost Symbol Chapter 71-75, Essay examples

Saturday, May 2, 2020

The Challenge of Diversity Essay Sample free essay sample

Ambassador Francis X. Taylor ( 2004 ) . Assistant Secretary for Diplomatic Security and Director. Office of Foreign Mission. while turn toingaParticular Agent Graduation Class. stated that the organisations of America can non make without the â€Å"diversity of experience† that is expected in the state today. Thus. all justness and security organisations that represent the state must take history of diverseness. He added: â€Å"This diverseness of civilization and gender and experience encourages new positions and different ways of thought. And this provides jurisprudence enforcement organisations with an advantage. † Diverseness within the justness and security organisation allows the organisational members to hold a particular apprehension of the different sorts of people that the organisation must cover with. As an illustration. African Americans that work for the organisation may be particularly empathic toward the African American population. At the same clip. the call for justness and security can non let for favoritism. racism. or biass. After all. We will write a custom essay sample on The Challenge of Diversity Essay Sample or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page justness and security are every bit required by all people in the state. All the same. a justness and security organisation that represents assorted civilizations would be expected to protect the involvements of those civilizations. An organisation that does non stand for the assortment of civilizations that the state represents might be blamed for racism at some point. Sing that this organisation performs a critical service for the state at big. it is important to guard the organisational repute by availing the particular advantages of diverseness. Yet another internal and external challenge posed by diverseness is that of different moral codifications that have been adopted by different civilizations and/or races. Given that a justness and security organisation can non follow different codifications of Torahs and processs for different peoples. it is the greatest challenge for the organisation to enforce a unvarying set of Torahs and processs for the state at big. There may be groups of people that do non believe in the set of Torahs adopted by the organisation. Nonetheless. the justness and security organisation that meets the challenges of diverseness must guarantee that the justness and security demands of all groups are met under its Torahs. Mentions Taylor. Francis X. ( 2004. March 2 ) . Diverseness in the Diplomatic Security Service.U. S. Department of State. Retrieved 12 July 2007. from hypertext transfer protocol: //www. province. gov/m/ds/rls/rm/30117. htm.

Tuesday, March 24, 2020

Mga ama, mga anak free essay sample

Mga Ama, Mga Anak (Fathers and Sons) is a play in three-acts written by Nick Joaquin in 1976. The original text in English was published in Manila by National Book Store Inc, in 1979. This is based on his short story Three Generations. † This Filipino translation of Nick Joaquins Fathers and Sons dramatizes the conflicts between generations, particularly the father and sons. It tells the conflicts of Zacarias Monzon who used to be powerful in his town. The story revolves from the time he was ill and wheelchair bound, with conflicts in his family still unresolved, until he realizes the cruelty and inadequacies in this family before he dies. CAST: ROBERT AREVALO (Zacarias) SPANKY MANIKAN (Zacarias) NANDING JOSEF (Celo) MARCO VIANA (Chitong) CRIS VILLONCO (Bessie/Pokpok) JACKIELOU BLANCO (Sofia) CELESTE LEGASPI (Sofia) PEEWEE O’HARA (Mrs. Paulo) BANAUE MICLAT (Nena) MADELEINE NICOLAS (Nena) And Tanghalang Pilipino ACTORS COMPANY In 1976, the year Nick Joaquin was declared National Artist for Literature, he rewrote his short story â€Å"Three Generations† into a three-act play titled â€Å"Fathers and Sons. We will write a custom essay sample on Mga ama, mga anak or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page † A year later, future National Artist Lino Brocka directed the first staging of the play at the Philippine Educational Theater Association’s Dulaang Raha Sulayman, an open-air theater housed in the ruins of Fort Santiago in Intramuros. It had been translated into â€Å"Mga Ama, Mga Anak† by Virgilio Almario, another future National Artist, and Pete Lacaba. In its various performances, â€Å"Mga Ama, Mga Anak† featured the talents of Ruben Rubio, Robert Arevalo, Lloyd Samartino, Boots Anson Roa, Hilda Koronel, Alicia Alonso, Butch Aquino, and Joel Lamangan, among others. On Feb. 21, 2014, both Arevalo and Lamangan, now heavyweights in the local entertainment industry, return on stage for Tanghalang Pilipino’s â€Å"Mga Ama, Mga Anak,† almost 37 years after the plays world premiere. Back then, Arevalo played Celo, son of the dying Zacarias Monson, while Lamangan was one of the boys who smashed the massive table at the end of the play. It was Lamangan’s first appearance on stage. For its 2014 edition, Arevalo is now Zacarias the family patriarch, while Lamangan directs the play, which closes the 27th season of the Tanghalang Pilipino. Robert Arevalo (center) leads the cast of Mga Ama, Mga Anak. CCP Tanghalang Pilipino In an interview in between rehearsals at the Cultural Center of the Philippines, Lamangan said he readily grabbed the opportunity to direct a Nick Joaquin work, saying he has not done any of the pieces by the late National Artist. â€Å"When [TP artistic director] Nanding Josef told me I would be directing Mga Ama, Mga Anak, I said yes right away. My first acting job was in a play directed by Brocka called Mga Ama, Mga Anak. I was one of the two men who destroyed the big table at the end of the play,† he said in between sips of coffee. â€Å"In today’s crop of seasoned performers, Robert Arevalo and Spanky Manikan are the closest talents a director can tap to play the role of Zacarias, which demands a big stage presence,† Lamangan said of Arevalo and Manikan, who alternates in essaying the lead role. â€Å"I did not make a mistake in choosing them as lead actors,† he added. Lamangan said while this version of â€Å"Mga Ama, Mga Anak† uses the Lacaba-Almario script in Filipino, he decided to tweak it by removing the winding discussion on religion and death. â€Å"Mga Ama, Mga Anak is one of the most commercial and accessible of Joaquin’s works. It has all the elements of a family drama. The story is about a dying era, the coming in of new inventions. Joaquin once said cultural expressions and lifestyles are being dictated by what is newly invented. In this story, cars are slowly replacing calesas,† he said. Lamangan said the plays story is timeless. â€Å"The conflict is still universal. The conflict is still power. The conflict is still submission. The conflict is still oppression. Bullying is now the form of oppression most common. The young audience can identify. † On his return to a CCP stage for Joaquin’s work, Arevalo said: â€Å"It is very good to be back on stage. Theater or stage is an actor’s medium. Theater work is a more serious endeavor. Acting on stage again is very satisfying professionally and artistically. † â€Å"Like Mga Ama, Mga Anak, the material spells the difference. I do not get roles as meaty as this anymore because of the way show business goes these days. The films and television shows are too youth-oriented and the emphasis is on love teams,† Arevalo said in a separate interview. Celeste Legaspi, on the other hand, said: â€Å"To be back on stage memorizing lines is good for the brain cells. It is a nice challenge. It is my first time to be directed by Joel Lamangan. He is very challenging as a director. He is a very good director. † Legaspi plays Sofia, Zacarias’ daughter-in-law and wife of Celo. She alternates with Jackielou Blanco. Cris Villonco, who plays the role of prostitute Bessie, Zacarias lover, said: â€Å"It is very interesting to be working with these veteran talents. As a young kid, I’ve watched them in my Lola’s Aawitan Kita and her other productions, also in the television shows of my mother. Now I get to share a stage with them. I get to act with them. It is an interesting mix of talents in one show. It is also a lot of fun. † Madeleine Nicolas said â€Å"Mga Ama, Mga Anak† deals with the â€Å"dynamics and tensions of father-son relationships. † â€Å"They always say that a son becomes like his father if he likes him or becomes the opposite if he hates his father. † Banaue Miclat, meanwhile, said the play also tackles the â€Å"universal theme of living in the past and making peace with your past. † â€Å"How do we let go? People can relate to the universal theme of letting go,† she added. Nicolas and Miclat alternate as Nena, Zacarias daughter. Other members of the cast are: Nanding Josef as Celo, Marco Viana as Zacarias grandson Chitong, and Peewee O’Hara as Mrs. Paulo.

Friday, March 6, 2020

How to Get Through Family Holidays and Survive

How to Get Through Family Holidays and Survive Heading home for the first time in four months? If so, you might be surprised at how much your perspective has changed. Now that you’ve been on your own at college, going back to your parent’s house can feel much different than when you were in high school. Even though it hasn’t been very long, you’ve already begun to create your own habits. While it’s important to be self-sufficient, your family might not be used to the more confident version of you. And, if you’re not careful, your new-found independence may ruffle feathers. By following these guidelines, you’ll be more likely to have a pleasant experience when you go home for the holidays. Prepare Your Sales Pitch Everyone, including your nosey Aunt Dorothy, is going to want to know all about your experience at college. Don’t expect that they’ll avoid the most uncomfortable questions – How are your grades? Do you have a girlfriend/boyfriend? When are you going to get a job? To make it easier on yourself, prepare answers to those questions before you even get home. It should be something simple, easy-to-remember, and cover all the questions that you’re sure to get. Practice Smooth Topic Transitioning Don’t want to talk about the love interest you brought last year? Are you avoiding the inevitable discussion about your grade in English? Practice smooth topic transitioning. The truth is, most people don’t want to hear about your embarrassing details. It’s more likely that they’d rather talk about themselves or something less controversial. For example: Relative: What ever happened to that rash you had last month? Did you ever find out where you picked it up? You: I actually too busy with my internship at Microsoft. Did you know that Bill Gates really does give out cash to his employees at Christmas time? Relative: Really? How much did you get? Another embarrassing crisis averted! Eat Healthy When they talk about the Freshman 15, what they don’t tell you is that holiday eating accounts for about 25% of your weight gain. When you head home to delicious homemade pie and all the turkey you can eat, it can be tempting to eat like you’ve been on a deserted island for the last few months. Instead, try to eat a few regular meals each day and browse lightly on the holiday goodies. Remember, you can always pick up a small cooler for a couple of bucks and bring some of those delicious treats back to your dorm later. Shop Early Especially if you and your family members are close, you don’t want to spend the few precious weeks leading up to Christmas hanging around by yourself in the mall. Instead, plan on getting the bulk of your holiday shopping done before you head out of town. That way, you can enjoy the time you have with your family doing other fun things, not just stressing out about when and where to buy all your presents. Manage Conflict Even the best families have issues that are sensitive. Whether it’s money-related, job-related, or just a simple personality conflict, nothing ruins the holidays more than fights that could have been avoided. In order to keep the peace this holiday season, here is a list of increasingly helpful ways to deal with a difficult situation or topic. Attempt to transition the conversation. Take a deep breath and count to 5. Respond with, â€Å"I understand how you feel. Maybe we can talk about this later.† Excuse yourself to the bathroom. Stay there until you feel confident you can discuss the topic rationally and without anger or aggression. Take a walk around the block. Write a note expressing your feelings in the most positive way possible. Remember: You Are the Guest Your parents are allowing you to stay, probably free-of-charge in their home. It’s your responsibility, as their guest, to follow their rules. That may mean inconvenience for you such as not being able to sleep in the same room as your significant other, not being able to smoke, or refraining from certain language – but it’s worth it to show your family you appreciate their hospitality. Are there other important ways that you get through your holidays back at home? Share your thoughts in the comment section below!

Tuesday, February 18, 2020

Globalization of English (Rhetorical Analysis) Essay

Globalization of English (Rhetorical Analysis) - Essay Example There is also a host of many other scholars who share the same opinion with different reasons. People are increasingly using English all over the world as the primary language, especially in the business settings. This number of people using the English language as a linguistic of communication has been on the rise over the decades. There are indeed three genres of population who use English. The first being native English speakers for whom English is their mother tongue and most widely used language. As a matter of fact, many people in Europe and the Americas know only English and no other language. The second classes of people are people for whom English is a second or working language (not their mother tongue) and it is this segment of the world’s population who have been responsible for the propagation and dissemination of business English. The third class is people for whom English is a foreign language over which they have little if no command. The use of the English language has been spread all over and the growth seems exponential owing to the fact that it is considered an international language. This means the world has accepted that the use of English in its indulgence is inevitable and therefore individuals are trying their best to get a mastery of the language. The fact remains that business English has proliferated because of the efforts of globalization and the spread of UK and American cultures throughout the globe. Europeans have been very enterprising and innovative business people willing to take calculated risks and through colonization, the propagation and spread of English through schools and other educational places have been assured. In most parts of the globe, English medium schools are in great demand and many convents profess and inculcate English values and language systems throughout their currency. The main challenges are that most people now tend to neglect their own native languages at the cost of English and also there are

Tuesday, February 4, 2020

Quantitative Decision Making Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Quantitative Decision Making - Essay Example Decision analysis also makes managers know which decisions are in favor of their companies and which can go against the benefits of the companies. â€Å"An effective decision-making process reduces the possibility of wrong choices or failures† (Ilyas). Let us take an example related to my professional field. I am a sales manager at a hardware company. The company sells all types of hardware products to the customers. A few months ago, I decided to replace all old style products with latest ones in order to achieve high levels of profits and to make the company style oriented. I had in my mind that the company’s sales could be increased by presenting the customers with new and latest styles instead of old ones. However, I did not consider the ratio of high-income people to low-income people while taking the decision. Moreover, I did not make use of six steps included in the process of quantitative decision-making. Therefore, the decision did not result in favor of the co mpany and we suffered major decrease in the profits. I think I should have done a survey of the market before taking the decision. Along with that, I should have listed all possible alternatives regarding the decision. I should also have calculated the expected profit of each combination of alternatives and outcomes.

Sunday, January 26, 2020

Dolutegravir Drug for Virologic Suppression

Dolutegravir Drug for Virologic Suppression Graphical abstract: Dolutigravir, second generation integrase inhibitor: A new hope for HIV patients Geeta Yadav Mesra, Ranchi Abstract: Undeterred efforts have been made and will be made in future to make it possible for HIV-infected individuals to achieve the goals of virologic suppression and one more result of this rigrous exercise is dolutegravir drug. It is the recent integrase inhibitor approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use in the treatment-naà ¯ve, treatment-experienced, HIV-infected adults who have previously taken HIV therapy and also for children ages 12 years and older weighing at least 40 kilograms (kg) who are treatment-naà ¯ve or treatment-experienced but have not previously taken other integrase strand transfer inhibitors. This article has reviewed all the aspects of drug including the structural and functional analyses, in vitro activity, pharmacokinetics, drug-drug interactions, MOA, metabolism, excretion, dosing/ adverse effects and resistance profile of dolutegravir. Dolutegravir is a potent and generally well tolerated antiretroviral agent that may play an impor tant role in the treatment of patients harboring resistance to other antiretrovirals.Some new combinations of drug with other antiretrovirals are also in pipeline which may hope to increase the immunologic response of the HIV patients. Key words:Dolutegravir,  antiretroviral,  integrase inhibitor,  HIV Introduction With the use of antiretrovirals with improved potency, tolerability, and resistance profiles, people with HIV are living longer and receiving longer-term care but even after so much advancement in therapy, they are struggling with an unknown fear of death [1, 2]. So, the need for new antiretroviral agents still continues to be substantial even after more than 20 years into the era of antiretroviral therapy, which have better tolerability, higher barriers to resistance, distinct resistance profiles, and fewer drug–drug interactions. These features of desiring drug have been inspiring the scientist all over the world to develop new agents that are not only focused on traditional targets but also on new novel therapeutic targets. The development of drugs targeting on critical steps in the life cycle of HIV-1 are drug classes that include HIV-1 reverse-transcriptase inhibitors (both nucleoside analogues and non-nucleoside inhibitors), HIV-1 protease inhibitors, and HIV-1 entry inh ibitors (fusion inhibitors and CCR5 antagonists). The newest class of drugs in HIV treatment is the integrase inhibitor (INI) class. Retroviral DNA Integration with the host DNA is an essential step in the life cycle of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) [3], as shown in figure 1. This integration process is facilitated by the viral integrase (IN) enzyme which catalyzes the insertion of the viral DNA into the host genome in a multistep process. The process of HIV-1 integration occurs through 3 essential steps: formation of the preintegration viral DNA complex, 3’ processing and strand transfer [4]. HIV IN recognizes and binds specific sequences in the long terminal repeats (LTRs) of the viral retrotranscribed DNA in the cytoplasm. After DNA binding, IN cleaves GT dinucleotides from the 3’ termini of the linear cDNA in a process called 3’ processing .The processed viral DNA, as part of the preintegration complex, is then translocated into the nucleus, where IN inserts the viral DNA into the host chromosome by a process called strand transfer [4-6]. Figure 1 Schematic representation of HIV integration Abbreviations: LTRs, long-term repeats; PIC, preintegration complex. Integrase inhibitors (INIs) represent a class of drugs for the treatment of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infected individuals, blocking HIV genome transfer and integration into the host cell DNA [7]. In this category, first drug which got FDA approval was raltegravir (RAL) which have been found to be highly effective for the treatment of antiretroviral- naive and antiretroviral-experienced subjects and one more recent drug is elvitegravir (EVG) [8-12]. However, these first-generation INIs share common resistance pathways. During clinical studies of RAL, subjects with virologic failure and reduced RAL susceptibility typically are found to have virus with 1 of 3 signature mutational pathways (ie, N155H, Q148H/K/R, or Y143C/H/R) in the integrase gene [13]. So, continuing RAL treatment in these circumstances may lead to the addition of secondary mutations or pathways and N155H may evolve to Y143 or Q148 pathways [10]. In addition to this, EVG does not appear to have activity agains t RAL-resistant isolates and same case is with RAL [14-16]. Therefore, there is a need for an INI with a high barrier to resistance and activity in subjects with human immunodeficiency virus type. So, recent addition included in this category is Dolutegravir (DTG). This review article aims to covers all the aspects related to the dolutegravir which will help the scientists, academicians and common men to statisfy their knowledge pangs, like in vitro activity, pharmacokinetics, drug-drug interactions, MOA, metabolism, excretion, dosing/ adverse effects and resistance profile of dolutegravir as shown in figure 2, which exemplify methodology and evaluation of dolutegravir with the help of different information sources Dolutegravir (DTG) discovered by a Shionogi and GlaxoSmithKline research collaboration, is a second generation novel HIV-1 integrase strand transfer inhibitor having activity against INI resistant viruses. In addition to it, also have favorable pharmacokinetic properties [17, 18]. It is indicated for use in combination with other antiretroviral agents for the treatment of HIV-1 in adults and children aged 12 years and older weighing at least 40 kg. It is available as a small, yellow, 50-mg tablet. Moreover, it can be taken with or without food and at any time of the day. Structural and functional analyses of Dolutegravir (DTG) Dolutegravir (DTG, S/GSK1349572) effectively inhibits HIV-1 IN variants which are resistant to the first-generation INIs. The structural basis for the increased potency of DTG resistant INIs is that it occupies almost the same physical space within the IN active site and make contacts with the ÃŽ ²4-ÃŽ ±2 loop of the catalytic core domain. Dolutegravir molecule has been divided into three main structural parts like tricyclic metal-chelating core, difluorophenyl ring and linker group which play a significant role in its binding to the protein as shown in figure 3. Tricyclic metal-chelating core binds to the intasome active site with the three coplanar oxygen atoms coordinated to Mg2+ cations The extended linker region connecting the metal chelating core and the halobenzyl group of DTG allows it to enter farther deeper into the pocket vacated by the displaced viral DNA base and to make more intimate contacts with viral DNA [19]. Figure 3 Structural and functional analysis of Dolutegravir IN VITRO ACTIVITY Dolutegravir has shown potent in vitro activity against both wild-type HIV and many INI-resistant mutants. It has potential for a higher genetic barrier to resistance. Dolutegravir has shown potent in vitro activity against HIV-1, with mean EC50 values of 0.5 nM (0.21 ng/mL) to 2.1 nM (0.85 ng/mL), IC50 of 2.7 nM and an IC90 of 2.0 nM in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) and MT-4 cells. It also shows activity against HIV-2 virus with EC50 of 0.09 nM to 0.61 nM in PBMC assays. Cellular toxicity is also in the micromolar range for a variety of cell types, indicating that the observed antiviral effect of S/GSK1349572 are not due to cytotoxicity. S/GSK1349572 shows potency against all integrase- resistant single mutants with an FC as high as 3.6-fold. In the presence of S/GSK1349572 no virus with high resistance to S/GSK1349572 was observed with 32 nM or higher concentrations of S/GSK1349572 in the culture medium. In vitro experimental studies reported that dolutegravir does not cause toxicity when used in combination, but had a synergistic effect with nevirapine, efavirenz, abacavir, stavudine, lopinavir, amprenavir, and enfuvirtide, as well as an additive effect when only used in combination with maraviroc. Efficacy of dolutegravir is also not affected on exposure to the adefovir and ribavirin [20]. Pharmacokinetics Dolutegravir has a favourable pharmacokinetic profile without requirement of boosters and its terminal half-life is approximately 13–15 h [21, 22]. AUC0–24h and Cmax values are slightly less than the dose in the range of 2–50mg following single and multiple doses. One noteable change is the nonlinearness in Cmax and AUC with the increase in dose, So, a twice-daily 50mg regimen has been evaluated in the phase 3 ARV-experienced clinical trial rather than a once-daily 100mg dose [22-24]. The geometric mean steady-state concentration at the end of the dosing interval (Ctau) for a 50 mg dose was reported to be 1.6 ÃŽ ¼g/mL, which was approximately 25-fold higher than the protein-adjusted IC90 (0.064 ÃŽ ¼g/mL). A monotherapy study of, 10 days of dolutegravir 50mg daily dose in integrase inhibitor naà ¯ve HIV-1-infected adults demonstrated a 2.48 mean log10 reduction in HIV-1 RNA. This reduction was sustained for 4 days after discontinuation of dolutegravir only becoz of plasma concentrations which remained above the protein adjusted IC90. Overall, variability in exposure was minimal: 50 mg dosing to steady-state conditions achieved a geometric mean Cmax of 3.34 mg/ml (16% coefficient of variation), an AUC0–24h of 43.4 mg_h/ml (20% coefficient of variation), a t1/2 of 12.0 h (22% coefficient of variation) and a C24h of 0.83 mg/ml (26% coefficient of variation) [22]. A pediatric granule formulation of dolutegravir is currently in development. Preliminary data investigation reported that granules mixed in purified water have increased exposure compared with the tablet formulation with a geometric least-squares mean ratio (90% CI) for AUC0-inf of 1.57 (1.45–1.69) [23]. Drug–drug interactions Dolutegravir pharmacokinetics has been evaluated in a single-dose crossover study for the effect of food and found that its absorption is modestly increased with food according to fat content [24]. Fat content affects the absorption of dolutegravir as noticed by the increased median Tmax from 2h to 3, 4, and 5h for low-fat, moderate-fat, and high-fat meals, respectively. Whereas dolutegravir AUC increased from 33 to 66% when administered with low-fat (300 kcal, 7% fat), moderate fat (600 kcal, 30% fat) and high fat food (870 kcal, 53% fat), respectively. [22, 24]. But these changes are not expected to affect safety or efficacy, So, dolutegravir can be dosed without regard to food. Dolutegravir causes drug-drug interactions with integrase inhibitors and some other drugs which is shown in Table 2. Table 2. Dolutegravir (DTG) drug interaction with integrase inhibitors and other category drugs S.No Interacting drug class Interacting drug Effect on dolutegravir 1 Antiretrovirals NRTIs Tenofovir No significant effect observed[25] 2 Antiretrovirals NNRTIs Efavirenz DTG AUC, Cmax, and Cmin decreased 57, 39, and 75% [26] Etravirine DTG AUC, Cmax, and Cmin decreased 70.6, 51.6, and 87.9%. [27] ETR/DRV/r administration results in 25, 11.8, and37.1% decreases in DTG AUC, Cmax, and Cmin ETR/LPV/r administration results in 11, 7, and 28% increases in DTG AUC, Cmax, and Cmin [27] 3 Antiretrovirals PIs Darunavir/r DTG AUC, Cmax, and Cmin decreased 22, 11, and 38% [28] Atazanavir DTG AUC, Cmax, and Cmin increased 91, 50, and 180% [29] Lopinavir/r No significant effect observed [28] Fosamprenavir DTG AUC, Cmax, and Cmin decreased 35, 24, and 49% [30] Tipranavir DTG AUC, Cmax, and Cmin decreased 59, 46, and 76% [26] 4 Antituberculosis drugs Rifampin DTG AUC and Cmin increased 33 and 22% with DTG 50mg b.i.d.+ rifampin 600mg q.d. compared with DTG 50mg daily [31] Rifabutin DTG AUC and Cmin decreased 5 and 30%, Cmax increased 15 % [32] 5 Acid-reducing agents- PPIs/H2 RA Omeprazole No significant effect observed [33] Antacids DTG AUC, Cmax, and Cmin decreased 73.6, 72.4, and 74.4% [33] DTG, Dolutegravir; ETR, Etravirine; EVG, Elvitegravir; LPV, Lopinavir; NNRTI, Non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor; NRTI, Nucleos(t)ide reverse transcriptase inhibitor; PI, Protease Inhibitor; PPI, Proton pump inhibitor; r, Ritonavir; RAL, Raltegravir. Mechanism of Action Dolutegravir inhibits HIV integrase by binding to the integrase active site and blocking the strand transfer step of retroviral deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) integration which is essential for the HIV replication cycle as demonstrated in Figure 4. In this process, the integrase inhibitor chelate with the two Mg2+ ions in the integrase catalytic active site, unable the integrase enzyme to complete the strand transfer [21]. Inhibition of the integrase strand transfer reaction by DTG has been confirmed in studies with live virus, which demonstrated an accumulation of 2- long terminal repeat (2-LTR) circles in treated cells at DTG concentrations Figure 4. Mechanism of action of DTG Metabolism/Excretion Dolutegravir metabolism occurs through CYP3A4 (UGT1A1 glucuronidation) a major pathway while UGT1A3 and UGT1A9 are only minor pathways, which is catalysed by UDP-glucuronosyltransferase (UGT) 1A1 enzyme. In vitro studies reported that it is not a cytochrome P450 (CYP) inducer and neither an inhibitor. However, dolutegravir is an OCT2 inhibitor [21, 36]. Dolutegravir is also a substrate of UGT1A3, UGT1A9, BCRP, and P-gp in vitro [37]. It is the predominant circulating compound in plasma and the renal elimination of unchanged drug is extremely low ( Figure 5. Metabolic pathway of dolutegravir Dose/Adverse effects Dolutegravir tablets are usually taken unboosted, orally and without regard to food [39]. Different dose combination studies with other drugs are reported to be performed to find the best combination with high resistance barrier as shown in table1. The most common adverse effects reported to be associated with dolutegravir Phase III SPRING-2 trial were nausea, headache, nasophryngitis, diarrhea and also a slight increase in creatinine level due to inhibition of creatinine secretion; however, dolutegravir had no effect on glomerular filtration rate [47, 48]. Some common drug -related adverse events were also notified during Phase III VIKING-3 trial in treatment-experienced subjects were diarrhea, nausea, and headache [49]. S.No Phase study Patients Dolutegravir vs other drug combinatons 1 Phase III SPRING-2 Study Treatment naà ¯ve Dolutegravir 50 mg once daily versus raltegravir 400 mg twice daily, each in combination with either tenofovir DF/emtricitabine (Truvada) or abacavir/lamivudine (Epzicom) 40 2 Phase III SINGLE Study Treatment naà ¯ve Dolutegravir 50 mg in combination with abacavir/lamivudine (Epzicom) once daily versus tenofovir DF/emtricitabine/ efavirenz (Atripla) once daily41 3 Phase III SAILING Study Treatment experienced, integrase inhibitor-naà ¯ve Dolutegravir 50 mg once daily versus raltegravir 400 mg twice daily, each in combination with background therapy42 4 Phase III VIKING-3 Study Treatment-experienced with previous or current failure on raltegravir or elvitegravir Open-label dolutegravir 50 mg twice daily with current failing background regimen for 7 days, then with an optimized background regimen43 5 Phase III VIKING-4 Study Treatment-experienced with virus resistant to raltegravir and/ or elvitegravir at screening Dolutegravir 50 mg twice daily versus placebo , each in combination with current failing background regimen for 7 days, then with open-label dolutegravir 50 mg twice daily in combination with an optimized background regimen for both arms44 6 Combination under study A fixed-dose combination (FDC) tablet (dolutegravir 50 mg abacavir 600 mg/lamivudine 300 mg) and a dolutegravir pediatric granule45,46 Resistance Dolutegravir (DTG) have been found to have a higher genetic barrier to resistance than raltegravir and elvitegravir [50]. Primary integrase resistance mutations associated with dolutegravir have not yet been identified. But viruses containing G140S, E138K, R148H, R263K, and G140S/Q148HRK mutations may show some level of resistance to dolutegravir. [50,39]. Raltegravir-resistant virus carrying a mutation at position Q148 had more reduced susceptibility to dolutegravir than isolates with other raltegravir mutations [51]. In vitro selection studies reported R263K mutation which commonly emerges in integrase in the presence of dolutegravir. R263K confers low-level resistance against dolutegravir and diminishes HIV DNA integration and viral fitness and no secondary mutation H51Y and E138K has been shown to compensate for the defects associated with the R263K primary resistance mutation against dolutegravir. All secondary mutations have a modest effect on resistance against this drug [52, 53]. Future of dolutegravir ViiV Healthcare has requested US regulatory for the approval of a new single-tablet regimen (STR) containing dolutegravir, abacavir and lamivudine. A European regulatory application has also been submitted, according to the company. This combination, taken as separate pills, worked well in the aforementioned trials. If approved, the new co-formulation will offer the first one-pill, once-daily regimen that does not contain tenofovir/emtricitabine and could be particularly beneficial for people with, or at risk for, kidney disease or osteoporosis. Results from the primary analysis, presented at the Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy (ICAAC) also reported that 90% of people taking dolutegravir and 83% taking darunavir/ritonavir achieved undetectable viral load in a snapshot analysis, with dolutegravir meeting the criteria for statistical superiority. Based on these findings the researchers concluded that dolutegravir provide a potent and well-tolerated new option for first-line HIV treatment [54]. Conclusion HIV-1 integrase is a unique target for antiretroviral therapy. Dolutegravir, a once-daily HIV strand integrase inhibitor currently approved for HIV-1 infected patients, provides at least equivalent antiviral efficacy and better tolerability compared with approved antiretroviral drugs. Efforts are ongoing for the approval of new single-tablet regimen (STR) containing dolutegravir, abacavir and lamivudine and also it would minimize the number of pills required for effective and acceptable antiretroviral treatment. Because of its unique mechanism of action, demonstrated virologic activity, resistance profile and tolerability, it is a significant advancement in HIV-1 therapeutics which will help HIV patients in long run.

Saturday, January 18, 2020

Zheng He or Christopher Columbus?

who was the greatest explorer Christopher Columbus or Zheng He? Tristan Stanchfield A great explorer in my mind requires being a visionary thats willing to pursue his goal despite the challenges faced, supported by high risk undertakings where the winnings are all or nothing, set on the uncertain future with a non back looking persona. That, and if the outcome is great is what my judging is based on. Zheng He, originally named Ma He, was born into a Muslim family just beyond the borders of China (later Yunnan Province in the southwestern part of China) in 1371.In 1402, after Emperor Cheng Zu of the Ming Dynasty ascended the throne, he dispatched Zheng He and Wang Jinghong to lead a giant fleet to the Western Sea (today's Southeast Asia), carrying members of soldiers and large quantity of goods. The fleet reached the countries of Southeast Asia, east Africa and Arabia, initiating a feat in the history of navigation and regarded as an unprecedented great historical period in Chinese hi story of trade and cultural exchanges. He led his fleet to voyage to the Western Sea for seven times.The number of ships of his fleet was from 40 to 63 each time, taking many soldiers and sailors on the voyage, with a total party over 27,000 people. and also took with him ships almost four-hundred feet long. Explorer and navigator Christopher Columbus was born in 1451 in the Republic of Genoa, Italy. His first voyage into the Atlantic Ocean in 1476 nearly cost him his life. (attacked by french privateers). In 1492, Columbus left Spain in the Santa Maria, with the Pinta and the Nina along side in search of a new trade route to Asia.Instead he sailed West and discovered America, and has been credited for the colonization of America also. in my opinion the greatest explorer was christopher columbus. this was because he was he founded America, and this took the high risk of sailing across the north atlantic ocean which he acomplished. Then he made several more voyages back and fourth fr om europe and America trading goods also at the same time creating colonies in the new world we live in today known as the United states of America. cites: iphone siri, http://www. biography. com/people/christopher-columbus-9254209, wikipedia. com.

Friday, January 10, 2020

Spain Rise and Fall

Before the 16th century, Spain was not recognized as a legitimate powerhouse in Europe. They were known as a very strong Catholic orientated country located in the Iberian Peninsula north of Morocco. However, in the matter of a span of little over a hundred years, Spain obtained a great amount of wealth and power through conquests and inheritance from the king. Just as they were the greatest empire in the world, it fell apart and soon declined into the status of a third-rate power in Europe.King Charles V of Spain inherited many lands of Europe because of his family background. In 1506, he had obtained the Burgundain Lands, which included the Low Countries and Flanders. He was also the grandson of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella, the great two Spanish monarchs from the late 15th century. In 1516, he became the first monarch to rule a united Spain. He was not done yet. In 1519 he was granted the Habsburg domains in Austria. Not only that, but in 1530 he was named Holy Roman Emperor. This meant that Charles V has control over the three leading dynasties of Europe at the time- the House of Habsburg of the Habsburg Monarchy, the House of Valois-Burgundy house of the Burgundian Netherlands, and the House of Trastamara of the Crowns of Castile and Aragon. This meant in Europe Charles V had control completly over the Central, Western, and Southern lands. No other monarch in Europe had as much land as Charles V had in the European continent. Not only did he have that land, but also from the Spanish conquests in the Americas and Asia, Charles V had the first global empire in the world.His empire became very rich and powerful from those conquests and imported goods they received from those places. The Columbian Exchange was the exchange of plants and animals from the Old World and the New World in which Spain and other empires successfully benefited from. From 1493, Columbus introduced horses, cattle, sheep, dogs, pigs, chicken, and goats. The rate at which these animal s grew were spectacular, thus leading to more food for the Spanish population which gave them a population increase and more money flowing in because of the extra meats.Not only that, but Spain brought back maize from Mexico, white potatoes from Peru, and various beans, squash, pumpkins, avocados, and tomatoes. Maize was a great gift for the Spanish because it was used as food for all peoples and livestock of the world. Since it gave a high yield per unit of land and a short growing season, it proved to be an especially important cash crop for them. The discovery of silver in the Americas was what really established Spain as the economic powerhouse of the world. In 1545, the Spanish discovered an enormous amount of silver in the city of Potosi.When it was discovered, no one lived in Potosi. By 1600 however, 160,000 people lived there. This made it about the size of the city of London at the time. Potosi yielded about 60 percent of all the world's silver mined in the world and made S pain very powerful and oh so rich once again. Another way the Spanish became successfully rich was from the slave trade. Their slave system was called the encomienda system, which was a legal form of slavery there. The Crown gave permission the conquerors the right to employ groups of Amerindians as agricultural or mining laborers.However as soon as the rapid decline of Amerindian population followed, the Spanish turned to the black slaves of Africa. This started what soon called the Triangular Trade route. The ships were crammed and packed with hundreds of captives in the boats in order for them to increase profits because the more slaves you had alive in your ship, the more money you received. However, the dominance of Spain proved to be temporary and short lived. Through the result of all the increase of the amount of food and land, it was no surprise that the population experienced a steady increase.This also created a sharp rise in the demand of foods and goods throughout the e mpire. Since Spain had removed their best farmers and businessmen- the Muslims and the Jews- in the fifteenth century, the economy was suffering greatly and could not meet the new demands, so prices rose. As well as that, the cost of manufacturing cloth and other goods increased, and Spanish products were not able to compete with cheaper products made elsewhere in the international market. King Charles V was no longer king of Spain by 1556 because he was tired from he long decades of ruling the vast empire. Through his reign he spent time warring with the French and the Ottoman Empire throughout his reign. He also spent his time devoting his time to stamp out the Protestant Reformation. Thus, the throne was passed down to his son Phillip II. The main event and problem that crucially hit the Spanish Empire was the â€Å"British problem. † On 1586 Mary, Queen of Scots who was the cousin and heir of Elizabeth, became involved in a plot to assassinate her. This was for the hope f or England to reunite with Catholic Europe.Phillip fully supported the plot. Not long after, Mary was discovered and was beheaded on February 18, 1587. Phillip soon heard of the news and went after to conquer England. Conquering England promised the additional benefit of cutting off financial support to Dutch rebels since Spain was in a bitter war with the Dutch at the time. Phillip's strategy was to prepare a vast fleet to sail from Lisbon to Flanders. They would fight off Elizabeth's navy if needed, rendezvous with the duke of Parma, and escort barges carrying Parma's troops across the English Channel.On May 9, 1588 Phillip's fleet of 130 set sail from the Lisbon harbor. The fleet was part of the great Spanish Armada. The Armada met an English fleet in the Channel. The English ships were smaller but faster, allowing more maneuverability in the water. Many of the ships had greater firing power than the Armada ships. The combination of storms, spoiled food and rank water, lacking am munition, and the scattering of the Spanish ships from the English fire ships gave England victory. The Armada was defeated even before they reached the Netherlands.On the way back, many other ships went down near Ireland and about 65 of the ships were able to make it back home. The defeat of the Armada prevented Phillip II from re-imposing religious unity on Western Europe by force. He unfortunately did not conquer England, and Elizabeth continued with her financial and military support of the Dutch. In 1609, Phillip III of Spain (r. 1598-1621) agreed to a truce. This truce recognized the independence of the United Provinces. In the seventeenth-century, memory of the loss of the Spanish Armada contributed to a spirit of defeatism.It was all set and done in little over a century. Spain had completed its epic collapse from being the global empire of the world, to now being a third-rate power in the seventeenth-century. Spain obtained a great amount of wealth and power through conques ts and inheritance from the king in the sixteenth-century. Just as they were the greatest empire in the world, it all fell apart and soon declined into the status of a third-rate power in Europe. In all, we can see how things can quickly change from being outstanding to disastrous.