Thursday, November 28, 2019
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...
Sunday, November 24, 2019
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 companyââ¬â¢s ratios with the industryââ¬â¢s, because they may appear good or bad when comparing with the companyââ¬â¢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 Foodsââ¬â¢ weaknesses and strength. In this report, you will come across profitability ratios, liquidity ratios and asset utilization ratios of both companies and also the industryââ¬â¢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 companyââ¬â¢s revenues have increased 18% a year, on average (Value line). The companyââ¬â¢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, WFââ¬â¢s profit margin was 0. 3%lower than the industryââ¬â¢s average. In 2008, safeway outperformed WFââ¬â¢s profit margins 0. 75%. However, in 2009 Safeway had a negative profit margin due to their net income loss. Looking at both companyââ¬â¢s profit margins in 2008 and 2009, we can conclude that both companies are struggling to make high profit margins. WFââ¬â¢s (ROA) suggests a good profitability from 2005 to 2007; however, it started to decline in 2008 and 2009. WFââ¬â¢s (ROA) was 1. 5% higher than the average industry ratio. Safewayââ¬â¢s ROE rations were lower than WFââ¬â¢s every year in the past 5 years, except from 2008 again, where their ROA was 2. 13% higher than WFââ¬â¢s. This shows that WFââ¬â¢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 compnayââ¬â¢s in the same industry since all its profitability ratios were higher than the industyââ¬â¢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 foodââ¬â¢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 WFââ¬â¢s strong sales. This could explain the companyââ¬â¢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. Sourceà : 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 Metricà : 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). WFââ¬â¢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 Safewayââ¬â¢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 Safewayââ¬â¢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 Safewayââ¬â¢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 companiesââ¬â¢ 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 .
Thursday, November 21, 2019
What are the weaknesses of the European Concert System Essay
What are the weaknesses of the European Concert System - Essay Example Further Europeââ¬â¢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.
Wednesday, November 20, 2019
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. Dukeââ¬â¢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.
Monday, November 18, 2019
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 ââ¬ËIââ¬â¢ll Run for Youââ¬â¢ 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 ââ¬ËIââ¬â¢ll Run for Youââ¬â¢ should pursue outside advertising agency. The prior mentioned major reasons reveal that it is not applicable for ââ¬ËIââ¬â¢ll Run for Youââ¬â¢ to run its own advertising agency. Needs & Resources Since the decision of advertisement responsibility for ââ¬ËIââ¬â¢ll Run for Youââ¬â¢ 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 ââ¬Ëneedââ¬â¢ 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:â⬠¢ 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 â⬠¢ Transparency and Consistency; an in-house process of advertisement allows a business to develop, validate and supervise the marketing analytics. â⬠¢ Data Assets; A centralized advertising system can evolve over the period to incorporate valuable and new data sources. â⬠¢ 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 ââ¬ËIââ¬â¢ll Run for Youââ¬â¢ 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 ââ¬ËIââ¬â¢ll Run for Youââ¬â¢ should relinquish its advertising department to an experienced advertising company, which can perform better professional services. Next Steps Agencies Available
Friday, November 15, 2019
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 ââ¬Å"diabetes capital of the worldâ⬠. 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 worldââ¬â¢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 ââ¬ËMeasurement modeââ¬â¢ was selected and the icon specifying ââ¬Ëpolygonââ¬â¢ 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-51.03à µm2) to the diabetic Group III (Mean NA-81.21 à 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 à µm 2 and control mean CA was 2771.6 à 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.
Wednesday, November 13, 2019
Promoting the Use of Civil Disobedience Essay examples -- essays resea
According to St. Augustine ââ¬Å"an unjust law is not a law at allâ⬠(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, ââ¬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.â⬠(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 ...
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