Mary Church Terrell - Womens Civil Rights Activist

Born Mary Eliza Church, Mary Church Terrell (September 23, 1863 – July 24, 1954) was a key pioneer in the intersectional movements for civil rights and suffrage. As both an educator and activist, she was an important figure in the advancement of the civil rights cause. Early Life Mary Church Terrell was born in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1863 - the same year that President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation. Both of her parents were former slaves who became successful in business: her mother, Louisa, owned a successful hair salon, and her father, Robert, became one of the first African-American millionaires in the South. The family lived in a mostly-white neighborhood, and the young Mary was protected in her early years from most experience of racism, even though, when she was three, her father was shot during the Memphis race riots of 1866. It was not until she was five, hearing stories from her grandmother about slavery, that she began to be conscious of African American history. Her parents divorced in 1869 or 1870, and her mother first had custody of both Mary and her brother. In 1873, the family sent her north to Yellow Springs and then Oberlin for school. Terrell split her summers between visiting her father in Memphis and her mother where she had moved, New York City. Terrell graduated from Oberlin College, Ohio, one of the few integrated colleges in the country, in 1884, where she had taken the gentlemans course rather than the easier, shorter womens program. Two of her fellow students, Anna Julia Cooper and Ida Gibbs Hunt, would become her lifelong friends, colleagues, and allies in the movement for racial and gender equality. Mary moved back to Memphis to live with her father. He had become wealthy, in part by buying up properties cheaply when people fled the yellow fever epidemic in 1878-1879. Her father opposed her working; however, when he remarried, Mary accepted a teaching position in Xenia, Ohio, and then another in Washington, DC. After completing her masters degree at Oberlin while living in Washington, she spent two years traveling in Europe with her father. In 1890, she returned to teach at a high school for black students in Washington, D.C. Family and Early Activism In Washington, Mary renewed her friendship with her supervisor at the school, Robert Heberton Terrell. They married in 1891. As was expected at the time, Mary left her employment upon marriage. Robert Terrell was admitted to the bar in 1883 in Washington and, from 1911 to 1925, taught law at Howard University. He served as a judge of the District of Columbia Municipal Court from 1902 to 1925. The first three children Mary bore died shortly after birth. Her daughter, Phyllis, was born in 1898, and the couple adopted their daughter Mary a few years later. In the meantime, Mary had become very active in social reform and volunteer work, including working with black womens organizations and for womens suffrage in the National American Woman Suffrage Association. Susan B. Anthony became a friend of hers. Mary also worked for kindergartens and child care, especially for children of working mothers. Mary entered activism more fiercely after the 1892 lynching of her friend Thomas Moss, a black business owner who was attacked by white businessmen for competing with their businesses. Her theory of activism was based on the idea of uplift, or the idea that discrimination could be tackled by social advancement and education, with the belief that the advancement of one member of the community could advance the whole community. Excluded from full participation in planning with other women for activities at the 1893 Worlds Fair, Mary instead threw her efforts into building up black womens organizations that would work to end both gender and racial discrimination. She helped engineer the merger of black womens clubs to form the National Association of Colored Women (NACW) in 1896. She was its first president, serving in that capacity until 1901, when she was appointed honorary president for life. Founder and Icon During the 1890s, Mary Church Terrells increasing skill in and recognition for public speaking led her to take up lecturing as a profession. She became a friend of and worked with W.E.B. DuBois, and he invited her to become one of the charter members when the NAACP was founded. Mary Church Terrell also served on the Washington, DC, school board, from 1895 to 1901 and again from 1906 to 1911, the first African American woman to serve on that body. Her success in that post was rooted in her earlier activism with the NACW and its partner organizations, which worked on education initiatives focused on black women and children, from nurseries to adult women in the workforce. In 1910, she helped found the College Alumni Club or College Alumnae Club. In the 1920s, Mary Church Terrell worked with the Republican National Committee on behalf of women and African Americans. She voted Republican until 1952, when she voted for Adlai Stevenson for president. Though Mary was able to vote, many other black men and women were not, due to laws in the South that essentially disenfranchised black voters. Widowed when her husband died in 1925, Mary Church Terrell continued her lecturing, volunteer work, and activism, briefly considering a second marriage. Activist Until The End Even as she entered retirement age, Mary continued her work for womens rights and race relations. In 1940, she published her autobiography, A Colored Woman in a White World, which described her personal experiences with discrimination. In her last years, she picketed and worked in the campaign to end segregation in Washington, D.C., where she joined the fight against restaurant segregation despite already being in her mid-eighties. Mary lived to see this fight won in their favor: in 1953, the courts ruled that segregated eating places were unconstitutional. Mary Church Terrell died in 1954, just two months after the Supreme Court decision in Brown v. Board of Education, a fitting bookend to her life which began just after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation and which focused on education as a key means of advancing the civil rights she spent her life fighting for. Mary Church Terrell Fast Facts Born: September 23, 1863 in Memphis, TennesseeDied: July 24, 1954 in Annapolis, MarylandSpouse: Robert Heberton Terrell (m. 1891-1925)Children: Phyllis (only surviving biological child) and Mary (adopted daughter)Key Accomplishments: An early civil rights leader and womens rights advocate, she was one of the first African-American women to earn a college degree. She went on to be a founder of National Association of Colored Women and a charter member of the NAACPOccupation: educator, activist, professional lecturer Sources Church, Mary Terrell. A Colored Woman in a White World. Washington, DC: Ransdell, Inc. Publishers, 1940.Jones, B. W. Mary Church Terrell and the National Association of Colored Women: 1986-1901,  The Journal of Negro History, vol. 67 (1982),  20–33.Michals, Debra. Mary Church Terrell. National Womens History Museum, 2017, https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/mary-church-terrell

Satire In Gullivers Travels - 1455 Words

Authors write in many different forms and use many different elements in their works. One of these elements that writers use is called â€Å"satire.† This element is used to make fun of something that the author disapproves of in a comical but hidden way. Widely considered as one of the greatest satirists to ever live, Jonathan Swift used satire in his works to express his disgust in society and the British Monarchy during the 18th century. One of the greatest satires ever written by Swift was Gulliver’s Travels. In Gulliver’s Travels, satire is evident through Gulliver’s voyage to Lilliput, his dialogue with Lilliput’s emperor, and his time spent within the kingdom of Brobdingnag. First introduced in ancient Greece in 423 B.C., â€Å"satire†¦show more content†¦Swift expresses these feelings multiple times in the book in many different ways. In Gulliver’s Travels, Swift expresses his fury towards the British Monarchy and points out the many faults within the royal court. Swift first states in Gulliver’s Travels, â€Å"when a great office is vacant either by death or disgrace (which often happens) five or six of those candidates petition the Emperor to entertain his Majesty and the court with a dance on the rope, and whoever jumps the highest without falling, succeeds in the office† (Swift 44). This statement in the book shows his anger towards how people get into office. Showing how people will climb over each other to get an office position and that the monarchy will only let people with a plentiful amount of money and a good name run for office. Gulliver also notices within the book that all objects on the island of Lilliput are the same size as the Lilliputians, noticing this he makes the statement, â€Å"...but nature hath adapted the eyes of the Lilliputians to all objects proper for their view: they see with great exactness†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Swift 62). Swift is satirizing in these lines that the British Monarchy is near sighted to problems outside of their kingdom and only care about Britain. Swift also brings out a major point later in the book when Gulliver ends up on the island of Brobdingnag. Since Gulliver is so small compared to the rest of the Brobdingnagians, he is treated kind of insignificant. Swift is comparingShow MoreRelatedEssay on The Satire of Gullivers Travels 807 Words   |  4 PagesThe Satire of Gullivers Travels      Ã‚  Ã‚   During the eighteenth century there was an incredible upheaval of commercialization in London, England.   As a result, English society underwent significant, changes in attitude and thought, in an attempt to obtain the dignity and splendor of royalty and the upper class (McKendrick,2).   As a result, English society held themselves in very high regards, feeling that they were the elite society of mankind.   In his novel, Gullivers Travels, JonathanRead MoreThe Use of Satire in Gullivers Travels903 Words   |  4 Pages Satire is a literary work that uses humor, hyperbole, and derision to ridicule the human behaviors and customs. Rather than being judgmental, many writers utilize satire to convey their innovative ideas to change certain aspects of society. From the many writers that used satire to condemn the actions of society, Jonathan Swifts, Gullivers travels, stands as one of the best satirical work in human history. Published in 1726, Gullivers travels i s an adventure of Lemuel Gulliver whose voyage turnsRead MoreSatire in Gullivers Travels Jonathan Swift Essay1032 Words   |  5 PagesSatire in Gullivers Travels Jonathan Swift In Gullivers Travels, Jonathan Swift makes a satirical attack on humanity. In the final book, Swift takes a stab at humanity by simultaneously criticizing physiological, mental, and spiritual aspects of humans. Literary critics Ronald Knowles and Irvin Ehrenpreis both agree that the last book focused entirely on satirizing humanity. The Yahoo brutes that inhabit Houyhnhnm Land are a despicable species that have the physical appearance of humansRead MoreSatire in Jonathan Swift ´s Gullivers Travels1944 Words   |  8 PagesJonathan Swift produced one of the most printed novels known to date. 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When one first reads his accounts in each of these lands, one may believe that they are reading humorous accounts of fairy-tale-like lands that are intended to amuseRead MoreGullivers Travels by Swift as a Fine Example of Satire Essay822 Words   |  4 PagesGullivers Travels by Swift as a Fine Example of Satire Gullivers Travels is a book which uses satire, to attack the politics of its time. Swift operates on two levels; on one level he tells an enjoyable fantasy story for all ages. On the second level behind the superficial narrative he comments upon the issues he faces in the reality of England and makes criticisms. The story is set on an island called Lilliput, it is inhabited by little people and it is this whichRead More Comapring Naivete and Satire in Jonathan Swifts Gullivers Travels and Voltaires Candide2292 Words   |  10 PagesNaivete and Satire in Jonathan Swifts Gullivers Travels and Voltaires Candide       A child has the ability to make the most critical and objective observation on society and the behavior of man. How is this possible? A child has yet to mature and lacks proper education and experience. However, it is for this very reason that a child would make the perfect social scientist; his or her naivete may provide an excellent means of objective criticism and most often satire. A childs curiousRead MoreSwifts Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift Essay1267 Words   |  6 Pages Swifts Gulliver’s Travels enables us to critically and harshly analyse our world and encourages us to evaluate the customs of early 18th century English society in relation to an ideal humanity. 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Differentiating Organisms Using a Gram Stain Free Essays

Amanda Lab Report 1 Microbiology Laboratory Title – Differentiating Organisms using the Gram Stain Introduction The experiment conducted was based upon the known attributes of two different groups of bacteria, those that are gram positive, and those that are gram negative. Using a specific staining procedure, it is possible to differentiate the two types under a microscope The gram stain method of differentiation is possible because of differences in the cell membrane between the two categories of bacteria. Gram positive cells have an extra thick layer that is made of highly-crosslinked peptidoglycans, which impart different properties. We will write a custom essay sample on Differentiating Organisms Using a Gram Stain or any similar topic only for you Order Now This layer makes the cells less susceptible to decolorization by Ethyl Alcohol. Using this property, cells with a thinner peptidoglycan layer can be stained a different color than gram positive cells within a culture. The primary color is applied to the culture and imparts a purple color to all bacteria in your sample. Adding Gram’s iodine, a mordant used by the method’s namesake, makes the violet color more intense, and creates a bond with the primary stain that makes it less soluble. The third step is to add a decolorizing agent, Ethyl Alcohol. In gram negative cells the alcohol makes the outer cells porous, which allows the primary stain to be washed away. The gram positive cells have pores that are actually dried out by the alcohol, which makes the primary stain fix into the membrane, and not get washed away. The final stain is the counter stain that lends a different, pinkish color to the gram negative cells that have been washed of the primary stain. Methods The method used in this experiment was derived from Cappucino and Sherman (2011) as detailed in experiment 10 with substitutions for the unknown bacteria. Aseptic lab technique was followed. One slide of the #7 unknown bacteria and one slide which included both unknown #7 and unknown #2 were prepared using the following stain technique. The initial smears were made from broth cultures using a loop, air dried, and then heat fixed. The smears were covered with crystal violet stain and allowed to absorb for one minute, before gently rinsing with a controlled stream of water from a squeeze bottle. Next, Gram’s iodine was applied to the smears with a dropper and left to sit for one minute before rinsing with water. Next, the 95% Ethyl Alcohol mixture was dropped slowly onto each smear and allowed to run off until the alcohol appeared clear and then gently rinsed with water. Lastly in the staining procedure, Saffranin was dropped onto the smear until it was covered, for 45 seconds. The smears were rinsed with water final time, then placed between sheets of bibulous paper to dry. Each smear was viewed under the light microscope using oil immersion at 1000x magnification. These smears were compared to smears prepared in the same fashion, of the known bacteria E. coli, B. cereus, S. ureus, and a mixed smear containing both E. coli and S. aureus. Results Experiment 10 Observations Bacteria| E. coli| B. cereus| S. aureus| Mixture of E. coli and S. aureus| RepresentativeField| | | | | Shape| Bacillus| Bacillus| Cocci| Cocci, Bacilli| Arrangement| Single, some clustered by the stain| Strepto| Variable, mostly staph| cluster| Cell Color| pink| purple| purple| Purple/pink| Gram Reaction| -| +| +| +/-| Un known Bacteria Observations Name| Unknown #7| Unknown #2| Mixed Field| Representative Field| | | | Shape| Bacillus| cocci| Bacillus/Cocci overlap| Arrangement| Strepto| staph| cluster| Cell Color| Purple| purple| Purple| Gram Reaction| +| +| +| * Table 1 shows how the three different cells were observed after staining. The only pink and gram negative bacteria were the E. coli which were rod shaped and collected in a strepto arrangement. Bacillus cereus was purple in color, appeared rod shaped characteristic of bacilli and was gram positive, appearing purple as expected. The other gram positive and purple bacteria, Staphylococcus aureus were spherical in shape, and clustered into large groups with some lone cocci visualized. The mixture in Table 1 showed a good contrast between the pink rods of E. coli and the purple circles of S. aureus. * Table 2 shows Unknown # 7 as a rod shaped, chain forming, purple bacteria. Unknown #7 was visualized as a clustering purple, spherical organism. Both appeared gram +. The mixture of the two showed the same shapes, but in this case the rods and spheres tended to cluster and were more difficult to observe as they were the same color. But rods and spheres could be clearly discerned upon careful examination. Table 1 served as a control for table 2, as each the unknowns in Table 2 were going to be one of the Table 1 organisms, barring contamination. If a bacteria was visualized in Table 2’s data that was not present in Table 1, there was an obvious error which could be corrected by redoing the slides. The information for Table 2 came from observations on Thursday following the original day for the unknowns on Tuesday, as we observed contamination on the slides from gram negative bacteria that should not have been present with gram positive stains. Discussion B. cereus and S. aureus appeared purple upon observation through the microscope. This is consistent with knowledge about the two bacteria that indicate they are gram positive bacteria. The purple coloration means that their outer layers are of the more highly cross linked type with more peptidoglycan, which gives their cell membrane shape and firmer structure. This also makes the membranes open to dehydration without weakening. When the decolorizing agent was applied in this experiment, the cell walls of the gram positive organisms shrank up, not allowing the primary stain to leave. They remained purple even after treatment with Saffranin. E. coli’s outer layer also has peptidoglycan but it is much thinner, and surrounded by lipids. When the decolorizing agent was applied to the slide containing this bacteria, it’s membrane let the stain wash easily out of the thin membrane. The saffranin as the second stain was then picked up easily, giving the E. oli a pink shade. The results of the study show that unknown # 7substance was B. cereus. The purple color and gram positive reaction ruled out E. coli as the identity of the unknown. Rods arranged in strips were observed in the unknown # 7, so B. cereus became the leading contender. When unknown #2 and unknown # 7 were mixed, a contrast between the rods and spheres could be observed, which made it clear that unknown #7 showed a clear bacilli structu re. Contamination on Tuesday of the experiment led to misleading results. Because unknown #2 had been visualized as purple cocci, and unknown #7 had been visualized as purple bacilli, when unknown #2 and unknown # 7 were mixed, it was unclear as to what the pink gram negative bacteria appearing in the slide were. The pink bacteria clung to the purple bacteria in the slide. It was decided that the unknown #2 had been mixed up with another unknown during testing, or the aseptic technique had been compromised. The unknowns were heat fixed and stained a second time, visualized individually and in a mix . The final results were unambiguous. It is unclear whether the gram-negative bacteria were E. coli or another gram negative bacterium as the pink structures were behind the purple structures in the slide and were very translucent. It also possible the pink bacteria were a result of decolorizing the bacteria for too long with ethyl alcohol during the staining process, or the pink bodies were contaminant material and not cells at all which happened to take on the Saffranin stain by chance. Literature Cited Cappuccino, J. G. , and N. Sherman (2011) Microbiology: A Laboratory Manual. Pearson Benjamin Cummings (San Francisco). How to cite Differentiating Organisms Using a Gram Stain, Papers

Market Evaluation of Amazon

Question: Write an essay onMarket Evaluation of Amazon. Answer: Introduction Amazon is selected as an organization for logistic and operation Management. It is the worlds largest online retailer and a provider of prominent cloud services. The company started its business by book selling and has expanded its business by selling a wide range of consumer goods and digital media, which includes Kindle Fire, e-book reader, streaming media adapter (Rangel, 2015). Here in this report consumer electronic products of Amazon have been selected. The products are digital or electronic equipment's that are used daily in private homes. The products include DVD players, iPods, remote control cars, etc. Market Evaluation of Amazon The organization manages logistic and operation management properly. Logistic and operation management helps the company in covering design, operation and management of the system for proper placement of physical services, raw material, finished goods and related information and services. There are several competitors of Amazon in the electronics and general merchandise market (Cheung et al. 2016). The competitors of Amazon include Best Buy, Family Dollar, RadioShack, Wal-Mart, etc. The report suggests that there is a growth of 34% in the shares of market sales every year. To exist in the market, Amazon is optimizing itself for operating on skinny profits. Amazon has highest market shares in consumer electronics market. Amazon has 39% of market shares of sales (Aguzzoni et al. 2016) Application of different Operation Strategies on Amazon Operation strategy is a plan that provides information about how a business can use its production to achieve its goals. The business managers provide operation strategy to its subordinates to present the business plan for achieving the goals and objectives of the organization (Slack et al. 2013). There are four processes of operation Strategy Stages. The stages include operation strategy formulation, implementation of strategy operation, monitoring of operation strategy and control of operations strategy (Borner et al. 2014) Formulation of operations strategy Strategy formulation is defined as a process in which every organization selects its appropriate course of actions that are helpful in achieving the goals and objectives of the organization. Every organization formulates the strategy as it provides a framework for achieving success (Holweg and Helo, 2014). Amazon formulates its strategy plan in order grab the consumer electronics market. The company has selected the most important course of action in order to achieve the vision of the organization. The company has used six steps for operation strategy formulation. The steps include: Setting the objective of the organization: In the first stage, Amazon sets its objectives in order to achieve success. Evaluating the environment of the organization: Amazon evaluates the economic industrial and environment of the organization. It helps the company in reviewing its competitive position in the market (Ward and Peppard, 2016). Setting targets that are quantitative in nature: in this step, the company sets up a quantitative target. The idea helps in comparing the long-term customers for evaluation of contribution that is done by different product zones of Amazon (Klaus, 2013) Aim according to the divisional plans: contribution made by each department of the company is analyzed and identified according to the strategic plan of the company. Performance plans: It helps Amazon in analyzing the gap between reality and the desired performance by the company. It is also helpful for the organization as with the help of the performance plan, and they estimate the future condition (Kumar, 2014) Strategy choice: This is the final stage in operation strategy formulation. The main course of action is chosen after considering the goals, strengths of the organization, limitation as well as external opportunities (Brner et al. 2014) Operation Strategy Implementation Strategy implementation is a process in which a selected strategy is translated into actions of the organization, in order to achieve the goals and objectives of the organization. It is also a process or a manner, which helps the organization in developing and utilizing the structure of the organization, control system culture, etc. (Ward and Peppard, 2016).To implement the operation strategy, Amazon uses some steps. The steps are: It develops the organization in such a way so as to carry out the strategy properly For essential strategy activities, Amazon disburses abundant resources Creating policies that are strategy encouraging For constant improvement, Amazon employs best policies Linking reward structure Use of strategic leadership Operations strategy monitoring Continuous monitoring of operation strategy helps an organization to be on financial track. It always helps in providing a direction to the employees who improve time management and increases the productivity of the company (Slack et al. 2013). Amazon monitors strategy operation to track its financial status. The company does it in several steps. The steps include: The specific form of measurement is created in order to determine the level of the workplace, operational productivity, performance of the employees, etc. To determine operational progress, a stem is developed Accountability system creation Comparison of employee documentation with gathered information Creation of open work environment(Brner et al. 2014) Hiring of additional steps which sometimes help in improving the operation of workplace Investment should be done in new technology in order to improve the productivity of the company (Ward and Peppard, 2016). With the help of production goals, motivate employees. Control of operations strategy Operations strategy is controlled in order to ensure that the day to day activities are constant with established plans and actions of the company. The strategy is obtained from the requirement of management control system. It includes several actions, which are training, motivation, leadership, discipline, or termination (Kumar, 2014). Amazon uses control operation strategy for evaluation of value chain analysis for measuring quantitative analysis, Benchmarking, key factor rating, etc. Amazon analyses and evaluates value chain analysis in order to identify and describe the potential of resources and capabilities (Slack et al. 2013). Amazon uses a technique known as benchmarking, in order to learn high quality things from other organization. The control of operation strategy helps Amazon to improve its performance in financial, marketing and human resource field (Brner et al. 2014) Competitive strategies of Amazon Competitive Strategy is defined as a long-term plan of a company to gain a competitive advantage over the competitors of the company. The three important competitive strategies are: Cost-Leadership Strategy The strategy is used by business for creating low cost of operation. The strategy is mainly used in order to gain an advantage by reducing the operation cost. The company gains the advantage over the competitors (Ritala et al. 2014) Amazon uses cost leadership strategy to achieve lowest production and distribution costs with the help of economies of scale. The strategy has provided strength to Amazon for purchasing, manufacturing and distribution, which help the company in managing costs. Amazon uses the cost leadership strategy to set lower prices of products to grab the market share (Gouvea, 2015). Differentiation Strategy Differentiation strategy is a process that is employed by every business for increasing the perceived value of the brand. The strategy is used in a company, where a company has clear competitive advantages for sustaining an expensive campaign related with advertising. Through competitive pricing, distributor location, distribution timing, product customization, etc., the companies achieve the process (Brynjolfsson et al. 2013). Amazon targets quality and value-seeking consumers that have minimum premium contributions and strong brand equity by using differentiation strategy. To pursue the strategy, Amazon focuses on the smaller part of the offerings (Valdani and Arbore, 2013). Amazon uses this strategy because it is an integrated set of action. It helps the company to produce or deliver goods and services. Focus strategy A company concentrates on its resources by entering or expanding in a market or industry segment in a process is known as focus strategy. The strategy is used in a company, where the company knows its segment, and the products of the company can competitively satisfy the needs of the consumers (Gouvea, 2015). Amazon chooses to focus on one or more market segments in order to protect the company from the competition. The strategy helps Amazon when it has limited resources. The first type of strategy that is used by Amazon is for making the cheapest offering in a targeted market (Ritala et al. 2014). The second focus strategy that Amazon uses is for targeting the market segments with more specialized product lines. Both the focus strategies used by Amazon is helpful in competing when there are limited resources (Valdani and Arbore, 2013). Strategy Improvement The improvement strategy refers to the goals and visions of the organization that will help the organization in achieving competitive advantage by addressing the deficiencies, waste, and plant assets condition. The use of strategic SWOT analysis helps in defining the strategy properly. For improving the strategy further, some steps are used by the companies (Kantor and Streitfeld, 2015). The steps are: Scope or processes must be defined in order to improve Understanding the needs of the process Setting goals and benchmark (Holsapple et al. 2014). For achieving goals, tasks and steps must be set Contribution of operation management to improve the Amazons strategy The integral of operation management in many companies are the operations manager. Operation management has a great role in the development of the organization. The operation management has responsibility for collaborating with other managers of the company to determine how operational planning helps to contribute the long-term strategy of the company. The operation management provides the functional component of the operation of the company (Espinosa, 2012). Planning includes determining goals and objectives related to logistic management, budget management, and related service management (Street et al. 2016). Operation management professionals provide direction to the various managers of the company for ensuring that planning is carried out in the company. It is the task of the operation management to ensure that all the workers are doing their task within the organization by maintaining the goals and budgetary objectives of the organization (Holsapple et al. 2014). The main task of the operation management professionals is to correct goals and objectives if they are not carried out properly. Operation management also helps in achieving the organizational strategy by having a co-ordination between the various departments of the organization. Efficiency and focus of the company are improved by improving the relation between different departments of the company (Espinosa, 2012). They must be able to access the resources of the organization whether it is monetary or not. It is done for ensuring that the resources must be used efficiently. The operation manager accesses the resources for increasing the profitability of the organization (Kantor and Streitfeld, 2015). Conclusion It is concluded from the report, logistic and operation management is very much important for Amazon. The company uses different competitive strategies that help in focussing on various market segments. The strategies are advantageous in order to protect the company from the competition. Amazon formulates different strategy plan in order grab the consumer electronics market. It has selected the most important course of action to achieve the vision of the organization . Amazon analyses and evaluates value chain analysis to identify and describe the potential of resources and capabilities. Recommendations Logistic and operation management is an area of business where improvement is needed to satisfy the customers. For improvement, several steps need to do on a regular basis. The steps include: Verifying the requirements of the customer: assessing the needs and requirements of the customer will be helpful in defining the total need of the logistic services Competitive performance tracking: with the help of competitive assessments, one can compare the performance of its organization with the most appropriate competitors. This is exactly done to measure the perception of the market place. Internal assessment: for keeping the assessment of the company totally objective, it is always recommended to conduct the internal assessment by an expert from outside the organization. An expert from outside the organization can identify the gaps and opportunities and compare them with the best practices in the organization. References Aguzzoni, L., Argentesi, E., Ciari, L., Duso, T. and Tognoni, M. (2016). Ex Post Merger Evaluation in the UK Retail Market for Books.The Journal of Industrial Economics,64(1), pp.170-200. Brner, J., Wunder, S., Wertz-Kanounnikoff, S., Hyman, G. and Nascimento, N. (2014) Forest law enforcement in the Brazilian Amazon: Costs and income effects.Global Environmental Change,29, pp.294-305. Brynjolfsson, E., Hu, Y.J. and Rahman, M.S. (2013). Competing in the age of omnichannel retailing.MIT Sloan Management Review,54(4), p.23. Cheung, J.H., Burns, D.K., Sinclair, R.R. and Sliter, M. (2016). Amazon Mechanical Turk in Organizational Psychology: An Evaluation and Practical Recommendations.Journal of Business and Psychology, pp.1-15. Espinosa, O. (2012). To Be Shipibo Nowadays: The Shipiboà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ Konibo Youth Organizations as a Strategy for Dealing with Cultural Change in the Peruvian Amazon Region.The Journal of Latin American and Caribbean Anthropology,17(3), pp.451-471. Gouvea, R. (2015). Designing a Nano Infrastructure for Brazils Amazon Water Resources: A Quadruple Helix Approach.Journal of Water Resource and Protection,7(01), p.72. Holsapple, C., Hsiao, S.H. and Pakath, R. (2014). Business social media analytics: definition, benefits, and challenges. Holweg, M. and Helo, P. (2014). Defining value chain architectures: Linking strategic value creation to operational supply chain design.International Journal of Production Economics,147, pp.230-238. Kantor, J. and Streitfeld, D. (2015). Inside Amazon: Wrestling big ideas in a bruising workplace.The New York Times,15. Klaus, P. (2013). The case of Amazon. com: towards a conceptual framework of online customer service experience (OCSE) using the emerging consensus technique (ECT).Journal of Services Marketing,27(6), pp.443-457. Kumar, R. (2014). Managing ambiguity in strategic alliances.California Management Review,56(4), pp.82-102. Rangel, D. (2015). DynamoDB: EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT AMAZON WEB SERVICE'S NoSQL DATABASE. Ritala, P., Golnam, A. and Wegmann, A. (2014). Coopetition-based business models: The case of Amazon. com.Industrial Marketing Management,43(2), pp.236-249. Slack, N., Brandon-Jones, A. and Johnston, R. (2013). Operations management. Street, K., Bari, A., Mackay, M., Amri, A., Maxted, N., Dulloo, M.E. and Ford-Lloyd, B.V. (2016). How the Focused Identification of Germplasm Strategy (FIGS) is used to mine plant genetic resources collections for adaptive traits.Enhancing crop genepool use: capturing wild relative and landrace diversity for crop improvement, pp.54-63. Valdani, E. and Arbore, A. (2013).Competitive strategies: Managing the present, imagining the future. Palgrave Macmillan. Ward, J. and Peppard, J. (2016).The Strategic Management of Information Systems: Building a Digital Strategy. John Wiley Sons.

Australian Poet Kenneth Slessor essays

Australian Poet Kenneth Slessor essays Focus Question: Using a few of his poems as examples, how effective are Kenneth Slessor's poems in revealing his identity as a man and a poet? It was once said that poems, though brief and whatever quality, serve as a look into the eyes of the poet. They are expressions of the poets emotions and thoughts through purpose, subject matter, themes, tone, messages and style. The poems of Australian Kenneth Slessor are powerful in illustrating his identity not just superficially as a poet, but also as a normal man with his own concerns, living his everyday life a civilian. Firstly they are effective because they are of his own style and interests, illustrating Slessor as an individual poet and person. Secondly, through manipulation of their components, Slessors poems reveal much detail of his personality and mentality as a normal man. In addition, they reflect the influences in his civilian life such as family, education and associates. Lastly, the actual efficiency of Slessors manipulations fundamentally reflects his skill and therefore identity as a poet. Slessors poems are unlike the traditional ballads of Patterson and Lawson favoured in Australian society during his day. Slessor steers clear of common bush and stockmen themes. His poems focuses instead on issues of personal interest and that affect his immediate environment. The inspiration of Captain Dobbin, about the retirement of sea captain, is from living near Sydney Harbour and an acquaintance with a Captain Bayldon. Since his concerns are different, there is subsequently no need to abide by customary rhythmic ballad form and style. Slessor experiments with different types such as the lyric form of the elegy Beach Burial. The almost prose-like form of Captain Dobbin showcases both his journalistic technique of extensive description and imagery laden poetic technique. Slessor is characterised...

Whole Foods Individual Case, Financial Analysis Essays

Whole Foods Individual Case, Financial Analysis Essays Whole Foods Individual Case, Financial Analysis Paper Whole Foods Individual Case, Financial Analysis Paper This report is written in order to perform financial analysis on Whole Foods Market Inc and its competitor Safeway Inc. This in depth report is both to determine which company is doing financially better and how also how they are doing comparing them to their whole industry. The ratios in this report are going to be used to compare WF to its competitior and also to compare its financial performances to the whole Grocery store industry (SIC: 5411) to see how Whole Foods Inc is doing in regards to the whole industry. It is crucial to compare a company’s ratios with the industry’s, because they may appear good or bad when comparing with the company’s competitors, however, when comparing these ratios to the industry a different conclusion could be drawn. Another purpose of this paper is to show the trends and relationships of this company which will allow us to assess Whole Foods’ weaknesses and strength. In this report, you will come across profitability ratios, liquidity ratios and asset utilization ratios of both companies and also the industry’s. Background Both Safeway and Whole Foods Market are major players in the Grocery stores industry and they are both leading the natural organic food field. from a Wall Street perspective, the highest profile player in natural / organic foods is likely Whole Foods (WFMI). The company’s revenues have increased 18% a year, on average (Value line). The company’s merchandise line of over 1,500 items includes organically grown. he company owns about 287 store locations in 38 states and Washington, D. C. , as well as five stores in the U. K and Canada. From 2010 through 2013, Whole Foods plans to open 53 new stores, including eight relocations(Plunkett research). The original whole foods Market opened in 1980 in Texas with a stuff of 19 only. Safeway Inc opened its first store in 1915 in Idaho. Safeway Stores, is one of the largest food retailers in North America, operating 1,712 stores. The company recently expanded its O Organics line of certified organic foods and beverages to over 300 exclusive products. Exhibit 1: source Industry ratios : retrieved November 4th 2010 from ,Reuters. om | | | |Whole foods | | | | | |2005 |2006 |2007 |2008 |2009 |Industry | |ROA |7. 22% |9. 98% |5. 69% |3. 39% |3. 88% |2. 38 | |Profit Margin |2. 90% |3. 63% |2. 77% |1. 4% |1. 83% |1. 8 | Exhibit 1 | | | |Safeway | | | | |2005 |2006 |2007 |2008 |2009 | |ROA |3. 56% |5. 35% |5. 03% |5. 52% |-7. 78% | |Profit Margin |1. 46% |2. 17% |2. 10% |2. 9% |-2. 69% | In analyzing the profitability ratios, we see that WF had better profit margin than Safeway ev ery year in the last five years, except 2008. However in 2009, WF’s profit margin was 0. 3%lower than the industry’s average. In 2008, safeway outperformed WF’s profit margins 0. 75%. However, in 2009 Safeway had a negative profit margin due to their net income loss. Looking at both company’s profit margins in 2008 and 2009, we can conclude that both companies are struggling to make high profit margins. WF’s (ROA) suggests a good profitability from 2005 to 2007; however, it started to decline in 2008 and 2009. WF’s (ROA) was 1. 5% higher than the average industry ratio. Safeway’s ROE rations were lower than WF’s every year in the past 5 years, except from 2008 again, where their ROA was 2. 13% higher than WF’s. This shows that WF’s has been doing a better job than Safeway at using its assets to generate a profit. Based on the Profit margin and ROA and we could conclude that WF is doing a better a job than Safeway at managing its assets efficiently in order to generate a profit. Moreover, we could also conclude that WF has been doing really well comparing it to the other compnay’s in the same industry since all its profitability ratios were higher than the industy’s. | | | | whole foods | |Industry | | |2005 |2006 |2007 |2008 |2009 |2009 | |inventory turover |26. 09 |26. 78 |24. 42 |23. 90 |23,27 |20. | | | | | safeway | | | | |inventory turnover |9. 92 |10. 58 |11. 08 |11. 72 |11. 43 | | Source: Industry ratios from Reuters. com, exhibit 1 Inventory turnover: Comparing inventory turnover is extremely crucial especially for the Grocery industry where it all comes down on how fast you sell your inventory. Every year since 2005, Whole food’s inventory turnover is more than twice. This reveals that whole Foods turns its inventory twice as fast as Safeway. This high inventory turnover demonstrates WF’s strong sales. This could explain the company’s revenues that have been increasing18% a year, on average, so far this decade. By comparison, Kroger and Safeway (SWY) have seen their revenues increase at low single-digit rates over the same stretch( Value line. com). WF fast growth could be also explained by the growth in consumption of organic food, it jumped from 5 Billion $ in 1997 to almost 25 billion in 2008( look at exhibit 5). Revenue Growth of Whole Foods. Source  : Retreived Novermber 4th, from plunkettresearchonline. com database [pic] We can see from this charts that sales have been constantly growing over the past decade and that is the best growth in sales in the supermarket industry ( Standard and poors). Advanced dupont method Chart3 , exhibit 1 Metric  : I belive that there are many important metric in the retail industry, but the most important one is sales per square foot. | | | |Whole foods | | | |2005 |2006 |2007 |2008 |2009 | |RONA |9. 54% |15. 70% |8. 12% |5. 38% |5. 89% | |Spread |2. 76% |15. 71% |7. 78% |3. 21% |3. 14% | |fin lev |1. 38% |0. 61% |50. 67% |61. 67% |48. 15% | |ROE |9. 98% |14. 52% |12. 3% |7. 60% |9. 02% | | | | | | | | | | | |Safeway | | | | |2005 |2006 |2007 |2008 |2009 | |RONA |7. 78% |10. 49% |5. 03% |10. 35% |-7. 78% | |Spread |2. 85% |4. 7% |4. 59% |5. 45% |-16. 53% | |fin lev |109. 83% |88. 88% |69. 50% |69. 27% |88. 16% | |ROE |11. 41% |15. 36% |5. 03% |14. 22% |-22. 19% | Advanced dupont method Chart3 , exhibit 1 [pic] Source : Retreived on November 4th from, netadvantage. standardandpoors. com The advanced Dupont model is used to separate the effects of operating and financing decisions which was not possible with the old dupont version. As shown in the formula above ,the higher the RNOA, Spread and Financial leveraged, the higher the ROE will get. Throughout the last 5 years expet from 2008, WF had a higher RONA and higher spread than Safeway, but they end up with a lower ROE in both years( see chart 3). WF’s higher RONA in those 4 years shows that WF uses its assets more efficientely than Safeway It also reveals that WF controls its costs better than Safeway. Looking at Safeway’s Balance sheets and income statement, we can conclude that Safeway has a low RONA( exibit 2, 3 and 4) and it is due to their low Net Operating profit. This could mean that Safeway has too much fixed assets that is not used efficiently, or it may also indicate that Safeway manages its expenses poorly comparing it to WF. Safeway is planning to reduce the size of its stores when opening new once( Standard Poors),showing they want to improve their RONA. During 4 out of these 5 last years, WF has been having a better spread than Safeway, because they have been getting a better RONA and because Safeway’s net borrowing cost is really high comparing it to their RONA. In 2009, we can see that Safeway had a negative RONA of -7. 8% due to the negative Net operating profit after tax. This affected their spread negatively since it is directly related to the RNOA. We could see from chart 3 that the reason why Safeway were getting higher ROE during in 2005, 2006. And 2008 is because they were using a lot financial leverage. In 2005 and 2006 Safeway’s Financial leverage was 109,83% and 88,88%, against only 1. 38% and 14. 52% for WF. Even if Safeway had a negative ROE in 2009, they used 88. 16% of financial leverage against only 48. 15%. This shows that the reason why Safeway got better ROE in 2005. 006. and 2008 is because they increased it with they increased it with their high leverage. Therefore we could conclude form the advanced Dupont analysis that WF has been doing better in terms of operating performance and that Safeway relies much more on financial leverage than WF. Conclusion. : We can conclude that after analyzing both companies’ ROA, RONA, Sread, asset turnover and Financial leverage, we can infer that Whole is using its assets better than Safeway and that it is growing its sales at a faster pace than Safeway. Comparing WF ratios with its industry, It is apparent to see that WF is doing really well against the average of the whole industry. Bibliography Retrieved November 4, 2010 reuters. com/finance/stocks/financialHighlights? symbol=WFMI. O Retrieved November 4, 2010 valueline. com/ Retrieved November 4, 2010 netadvantage. standardandpoors. com Retrieved from November 4, 2010 mergentonline. com/compsearch. asp Retrieved November 4, 2010 plunkettresearchonline. com .

What are the weaknesses of the European Concert System Essay

What are the weaknesses of the European Concert System - Essay Example Further Europe’s great powers signed a treaty to increase mutual cooperation and to prevent the recurrence of hegemony. This was known as the Congress of Vienna and was chaired by the Austrian statesman Klemens Wenzel von Metternich. Its purpose was to redraw the political map of Europe, which was in disarray due to the Napoleonic wars. France was excluded from this exercise as its boundaries had already been decided by the Treaty of Paris, signed on May 30, 1814. The specific aim of this Concert was to prevent the outbreak of revolution in their countries. This was due to the fact that the French Revolution of 1789 had spread terror amongst the leading powers of Europe. To this end, Austria, Prussia, Russia, Great Britain and France convened at the Congress of Vienna. The Great Powers met periodically and made efforts to ensure peace in Europe. A beneficial result was the formation of a framework for international diplomacy and negotiation. An example of this endeavor is the 1827 intervention by these Great Powers leading to the defeat of the Ottoman Empire in the Battle of Navarino. The main weakness of the European Concert was that it consisted of countries with different ideologies and this resulted in the lack of consensus. The European countries, with the exception of Britain, were interested in maintaining the political status quo in western and central Europe in order to suppress revolutionary outbreaks. However, Britain abstained from opposing any such threats to Spanish and Portuguese rule in Latin America.

Theories of Business Power Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Theories of Business Power - Research Paper Example When discussing business power and the society, the American Tobacco Company cannot go unmentioned. The company, founded by entrepreneur James B. Duke shortly after the Civil War, maximized on new technology from the Bonsack machine in order to increase the output of its cigarettes. It used cunning methods to market them worldwide. By 1881, almost ten years after he had switched to cigarettes from chewing tobacco, he was using Russian immigrants to roll his cigarettes and women to market them. By 1883, he had expanded his business to China as well as negotiated an exclusive contract for a cigarette-rolling machine. Texts show that by 1892, about 2.9 billion cigarettes had been sold and over 10 billion sold by 1903. The monopoly, however, disintegrated in 1911 but its effect of leaving millions of smokers worldwide and billions by now remains. Duke’s example in The American Tobacco Company illustrates the ability of commerce to change a society.The rise of the railroads in the United States in 1850 also illustrates how power radiated from this industry touching on the seven spheres of influence. The railroads changed both the American politics and the government in more than one ways. For example, the political candidates were able to get wide exposure, the government subsidized and later regulated these railroads too. To the American society, this railroad contributed to the Indian war, engineered professional management teams and introduced concepts such as cost accounting and division structures.

Agency or in house advertising Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Agency or in house advertising - Essay Example Before coming to the question whether ‘I’ll Run for You’ should pursue outside advertising agency or in-house advertising agency, some critical factors are needed to be considered. Based upon the analysis, it is advisable that ‘I’ll Run for You’ should pursue outside advertising agency. The prior mentioned major reasons reveal that it is not applicable for ‘I’ll Run for You’ to run its own advertising agency. Needs & Resources Since the decision of advertisement responsibility for ‘I’ll Run for You’ is suggested to be an outside advertising agency, therefore no substantial resources are required. If Darla would had been recommended to pursue in-house marketing and advertising campaign then required resources would be considered such as hiring and training of employees, Research and Development etc. However, Darla needs a significant amount of cost to bear in order to make payment to the outside advertisin g agency. Therefore, the only concern or ‘need’ for Darla is to ensure her company can bear the required amount of upfront cost for outsourcing its advertising. Pros & Cons of In-house Advertising Department.Pros:†¢ Timeliness; a strong in-house analytics team can provide refresh software models monthly. New business information related to a business or its competitors can quickly be adjusted into these models †¢ Transparency and Consistency; an in-house process of advertisement allows a business to develop, validate and supervise the marketing analytics. †¢ Data Assets; A centralized advertising system can evolve over the period to incorporate valuable and new data sources. †¢ Enterprise Knowledge; In-house advertising allows a business to advertise in a convenient manner.... Data Assets; A centralized advertising system can evolve over the period to incorporate valuable and new data sources. Enterprise Knowledge; In-house advertising allows a business to advertise in a convenient manner. The advertising department knows all of the information therefore advertisement is performed accordingly. Cons: Hiring and Recruitment; in order to meet the demand of top notch analytic talent, finding and hiring people with right skills can be very expensive as well as challenging. Upfront Costs; if resources are not available at that point of time, an upfront investment in data infrastructure and technology will be required. Time; establishing infrastructure, implementing software systems, hiring appropriate people can take years. It will take even more time to the business to reap the benefits of these investments. Pros & Cons of Hiring Outside Advertising Agency Pros: Better realization of revenues and increased returns on investments Labour cost gets lower and econo mies of scales are achieved Tapping into a knowledge of innovation Increases quality, delivery and speed of outsourced activities Cons: Chances of loss of control over the business processes of the company Shortcomings in performances Under realization of results and benefits Recommendation ‘I’ll Run for You’ is a start up business. If the company tries to keep every department under its control, then it might lead to an increased cost to the company. Therefore, primarily in order to avoid increased costs, the company must outsource its advertising department. It is recommended that ‘I’ll Run for You’ should relinquish its advertising department to an experienced advertising company, which can perform better professional services. Next Steps Agencies Available

Efficacy of Oral Exfoliative Cytology in Diabetes Mellitus

Efficacy of Oral Exfoliative Cytology in Diabetes Mellitus EFFICACY OF ORAL EXFOLIATIVE CYTOLOGY IN DIABETES MELLITUS PATIENTS-A LIGHT MICROSCOPIC CONFOCAL MICROSCOPIC STUDY Abstract Introduction: Diabetes Mellitus has become a global problem. By monitoring the health status of these individuals, diabetic complications leading to morbidity can be prevented. Aim: We aimed to analyze alterations in the morphology and cytomorphometry of buccal epithelial cells of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus patients using oral exfoliative cytology technique and determine its importance in public health screening, diagnosis and monitoring of diabetes mellitus. Material Methods: The study was carried out in 100 Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus patients and 30 healthy individuals. Smears were taken from the right buccal mucosa and stained by the Papanicolaou technique. Staining with Acridine orange was carried out to view qualitative changes with confocal laser scanning microscope (LSM-510 Meta).The cytomorphometry was evaluated using IMAGE PRO PLUS 5.5 software with Evolution L.C camera. All findings were statistically analyzed. Results: The results showed that with increase in fasting plasma glucose levels, there is significant increase in nuclear area, decrease in cytoplasmic area, and increase in nuclear cytoplasmic ratio (P Conclusion: In the present study, we found significant alterations in the cytomorphometry and cytomorphology of buccal epithelial cells of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus patients. This study supports and extends the view that these cellular changes can alert the clinician to the possibility of diabetes and aid in monitoring of diabetes throughout the lifetime of the patient. Keywords: Confocal laser scanning microscope; Cytomorphometry; Diabetes mellitus; Oral exfoliative cytology. Introduction Diabetes mellitus (DM) is not a single disease entity but rather a group of metabolic disorders sharing the common underlying feature of hyperglycemia. Hyperglycemia results from defects in insulin secretion, insulin action or both. The chronic hyperglycemia and resultant metabolic deregulation of carbohydrate, fat and protein may be associated with secondary damage in multiple organ systems, especially the kidneys, eyes, nerves and blood vessels.1Recent estimates indicate that the number of people with DM in 2010 is 285 million and is expected to be 438 million in 2030. The global prevalence rate is 6.6% in 2010 and is expected to rise to 7.8% in 2030.2 India leads the world with largest number of diabetic subjects earning the dubious distinction of being termed the â€Å"diabetes capital of the world†. According to the Diabetes Atlas 2009 published by the International Diabetes Federation, the total number of people with diabetes in India is 50.8 million and is expected to rise to 87 million in 2030.3 It can no longer be considered a disease of affluent nation alone, it has become a global problem, a major epidemic of the twentieth century, and one which shows no sign of abating. 3 DM is the leading cause of end-stage renal disease, adult-onset blindness and traumatic lower extremity amputations. The prevalence of DM is increasing sharply in the developing world as more people adopt a sedentary lifestyle, with India and China being the largest contributors to the world’s diabetic load.2 Oral Exfoliative cytology is a relatively simple and non-invasive clinical technique which has the potential to be developed as a routine investigation for screening of DM. It can be used chair-side during routine dental examination.4The various alterations in the cytomorphology of the oral mucosa in diabetes and characterization of these changes give clinicians a more accurate image of what really happens during diabetes. So in our study, the cytomorphometric and cytomorphologic changes were compared according to the different glucose levels of diabetes. In addition to light microscope, we used confocal laser scanning microscope, to ascertain the various cytomorphologic changes seen under light microscope. It is possible that the degree of cellular change depends on the progression of diabetes. Hence the present study was undertaken as this research area has received little attention to date. Materials Methods Selection of subjects: The study was carried out in Type 2 DM patients attending the diabetic outpatient department of General Medicine of Sri Ramachandra University, Chennai, India. These patients were under regular monitoring of blood sugar levels and subsequent treatment. The experimental group included 100 Type 2 DM patients and the control group consisted of 30 healthy individuals free of any systemic diseases with clinically normal oral mucosa. Study groups: The entire study sample was grouped for statistical analysis, based on the recent Fasting Plasma Glucose (FPG) levels as follows: Group I: FPG 110-150mg/dl; Group II: FPG 150-200mg/dl; Group III: FPG >200mg/dl; Control: FPGExclusion criteria: Individuals with habit of tobacco use in any form, habitual alcohol intake, any other systemic illness, clinically evident nutritional deficiencies like anemia, presence of oral sepsis were excluded from the study. After selection of the patient, informed consent was obtained and the p rocedure was carried out. In addition, the biochemical hematological measurements were carried out to exclude anemia other systemic disease. Smear collection and preparation: Patients were asked to rinse their mouth to remove any debris. Following this, with a gentle scraping motion, cells were scraped from clinically normal appearing right buccal mucosa. The scrapings were then evenly smeared onto the glass slide and immersed in 95% isopropyl alcohol in a coplin jar, for half an hour. Staining technique: Smears from all the samples were stained by the Papanicolaou technique (PAP).For few samples two smears were taken from the same site, one stained using PAP and other using Acridine orange(AO), a fluorescent dye, to view with confocal laser scanning microscope. In cases with very high plasma glucose levels smear was stained with Periodic Acid Schiff (PAS) technique to assess presence of candida. Cytomorphometric assessment: The cytomorphometric analysis was done using IMAGE PRO PLUS 5.5 software with Evolution L.C camera. In each of the PAP stained slide, ten fields were chosen by systematic sampling in a step wise manner, moving from left to right and then down and across in order to avoid measuring the same cells again. Cells with clearly defined cellular outlines were only chosen those that were clumped, overlapped or folded were excluded for analysis. The cells were projected on to the monitor via the camera at 40x magnification and images were captured. In the software main menu, the function ‘Measurement mode’ was selected and the icon specifying ‘polygon’ was enabled to analyze the area of interest. The nuclear area (NA) and cytoplasmic area (CA) were obtained by drawing around the nuclear and cell boundaries using the cursor. The areas were recorded in square microns. The nuclear cytoplasmic ratio (N/C) was calculated for all the cells. The various parameters calculated were by the Image analysis software thereby reducing the subjective error. Cytomorphologic assessment: The PAP PAS stained slides were viewed under light microscope whereas the AO stained slides were viewed under confocal laser scanning microscope (LSM-510 meta).Morphologic assessment included inflammatory component, cell degeneration, micronuclei, binucleation, intracytoplasmic inclusion, candida, keratinization, intracytoplasmic microorganisms any other changes. Results On comparison of the cytomorphometry between the various study groups, the results showed a significant increase in the NA N/C ratio (p Discussion DM has become a global problem. It is not a disease but a metabolic disorder. Early detection and subsequent monitoring of this disorder will definitely improve the health of individuals suffering from diabetes. By monitoring the health status of the individuals, diabetic complications leading to morbidity can be prevented, thus producing a healthy society. In the present study we aimed to analyze alterations in the morphology and cytomorphometry of buccal mucosal cells of Type 2 diabetics using exfoliative cytology technique and determine its importance in public health screening and monitoring of DM. The study showed a significant steady increase in NA with increase in blood sugar level (Figure1) from control group (Mean NA-51.03 µm2) to the diabetic Group III (Mean NA-81.21  µm2). This finding concurs with other previously reported studies who reported a significant increase in NA in diabetic patients.5-7 However all these studies did not categorize the patients based on the blood glucose levels. Similar studies using cytomorphometry have been done to analyze the effect of alcohol, tobacco, radiotherapy on buccal mucosa. 8-12 Nucleus contains the genomic DNA, histones and several proteins. The nuclear size can therefore be altered by change in the content of DNA or proteins. There is usually twice as much protein as DNA in a nucleus.13 Hyperglycemia induces a compensatory increase in insulin secretion which in turn causes increase in protein formation. Insulin has several mitogenic functions, including initiation of DNA synthesis in certain cells. These may account for the i ncrease in NA seen in diabetes patients.14 Our study revealed a decrease in CA with increase in blood sugar level i.e.GroupIII mean CA was 2270.63  µm 2 and control mean CA was 2771.6  µm2 (Figure1). This finding is contradictory to studies by Alberti et al 5 and Shareef et al6 who found that CA did not show any significant difference in diabetics and Hassan et al7 who reported a significant increase in CA. However this finding concurs with Prasad et al15 who reported increase in cell diameter and cytoplasmic diameter with increase in glycemic status. Ogden et al10 have reported a similar reduction in cell diameter in patients with habit of alcoholism. The reduction in CA in our study could be due to the dehydrated condition of the diabetics. Increased blood glucose causes dehydration, polyuria polydipsia, intracellular extracellular dehydration. Glucose does not diffuse easily through the pores of the cell membrane causing an increase in osmotic pressure. This increase in osmotic pressure in extracellular fluid causes o smotic transfer of water out of the cells explaining the reduction in CA.16 The comparison of N/C ratio between control and experiment groups showed a steady increase in N/C ratio (from Control-0.0188 to Group III-0.0369) with increasing blood glucose levels(Figure1) .This may be due to a real increase in NA and decrease in CA in diabetic patients, rather than just a deviation from normal. This finding concurs with Rivera et al17 and Prasad et al15 who also reported increase in N/C ratio. In the qualitative changes we found that micronuclei (MN) was present in 44 cases which was statistically significant (p=0.018). MN are known biomarkers of genome damage and has been studied in buccal cell systems. They provide a convenient and reliable index of both chromosome breakage and chromosome loss.MN is found in cells that have completed nuclear division.MN was judged according to criteria by Tolbert et al. 18 Another biomarker of genome damage is nuclear bud formation which was also visualized but not statistically analyzed.16 The nuclear bud has the same morphology and staining properties as the nucleus, however, its diameter may range from a half to a quarter of that of the main nucleus. Hyperglycemia results in formation of Advanced Glycation End products (AGE), endothelial nitric oxide synthase uncoupling, activation of protein kinase C activation of polyol pathway. This in turn causes activation of reactive oxygen species which results in induction of oxidative stress . Oxidative stress is an imbalance between the production of reactive oxygen species and the biological systems ability to readily detoxify the reactive intermediates or to repair the resulting damage. The effects of oxidative stress depend upon the size of these changes, wherein a cell can overcome small perturbations and regain its original state. However, more severe oxidative stress can cause cell death and even moderate oxidation can trigger apoptosis, while more intense stresses may cause necrosis. Oxidative stress has been found to cause genomic damage in DM. 19 This supports the observation of MN in diabetic patients. Few other studies also showed increase in MN in lymphocyte cultures of type 2 diabetics.20, 21 This is the first reported study in which an attempt has been made to study qualitative changes of buccal smear using confocal microscopy. The use of fluorescence dye (Acridine Orange) and visualization under confocal laser scanning microscope enhanced the demonstration of nuclei and micronuclei. They also helped to avoid false positive results. Statistical analysis revealed that cell degeneration was present in 44 cases out of 100 cases. It was statistically significant (p=0.05) implying that increase in blood glucose level leads to oxidative stress and showed increase in degeneration and necrosis. The various qualitative changes included karyorrhexis, pyknosis, apoptosis chromatin abnormalities. Previous studies by Alberti et al5 Shareef et al6 also demonstrated qualitative changes of karyorrhexis. Another significant qualitative change found was the presence of keratinization. This finding is in accordance with an earlier study by Zimmermann et al22 who stated that endocrine dis orders like DM had increased keratinized cell count in the buccal mucosa. The increase in this keratinization may be a compensation for decreased salivary flow.5 Binucleation was present in 45 cases out of 100 but showed no statistically significant result. The significance of these binucleate cells is unknown, but they are probably indicative of failed cytokinesis following the last nuclear division in the basal cell layer. Studies by Alberti et al5 and Shareef et al6 also showed similar findings of binucleation. Increased number of polymorphonuclear leukocytes was observed in the experiment group than chronic inflammatory cells. Increase in inflammation could be due to decreased salivary flow found in diabetics owing to hypofunction of the salivary glands. Hassan et al7 in their study found that incidence of inflammation was higher in diabetic smears. Figure2 Figure3 shows the various qualitative changes viewed under light microscope and confocal microscope. Conclusion: From our study, we could conclude that diabetes produces significant alterations in the cytomorphometry and cytomorphology of buccal epithelial cells. The use of confocal laser scanning microscopy demonstrated qualitative changes with higher resolution and clarity and helped in reducing the possibility of recording false positive and/or false negative observations. Clinical significance: Exfoliative cytology is helpful in diabetic patients who have aversion and fear to needle pricks as it is painless and can be carried out regularly .The minimal time and ease of the procedure is beneficial in mass screening and public health awareness programme. They also aid in monitoring of diabetes mellitus throughout the lifetime of the patient, thereby decreasing the morbidity and preventing long term complications. Acknowledgements Authors would like to thank the Central Research Facility Department of General Medicine of Sri Ramachandra University, Chennai. We would also like to thank the lab assistant Department of Oral pathology and statistician for their valuable help in the study. No conflict of interest. No source of funding.

Promoting the Use of Civil Disobedience Essay examples -- essays resea

According to St. Augustine â€Å"an unjust law is not a law at all†(p186). This belief has been shared by many influential leaders in the past, including Henry Thoreau, Mahatma Ghandi, and Martin Luther King. They all believed in a non-violent approach to solving their social grievances. In most cases their approach was successful and was noticed by society and brought about a change in the laws. This nonviolent perspective stems straight from Jesus, who says, â€Å"Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you.†(p192). Others believe that by being disobedient you are under minding the laws and thus creating chaos within society. But, if unjust laws are not brought into light or under minded, then there will be no change in those laws. Martin Luther King felt there is a misconception of time in that the very flow of time cures all ills. On the contrary, time is neutra l and it can be used either destructively or constructively(p190). The way in which one should go about voicing their ...