Saturday, October 5, 2019

The political economies of Panama and Costa Rica Research Paper

The political economies of Panama and Costa Rica - Research Paper Example Costa Rica & Panama: Basics Costa Rica has an estimated population of 4.6 million as of July 2011 and a growth rate of 1.3% (IndexMundi, 2012). Sixty-four percent of this population is residing in urban centers of which about 94% are white, 3% black, 1% Amerindian, and 1% Chinese (IndexMundi, 2012). Their language is Spanish and the nation has high literacy rate of 94.9% (IndexMundi, 2012). The country allocated 6.3% and 10.5% in health from its GDP in 2009. The nation is located in the border of Caribbean Sea and the North Pacific Ocean. It is adjacent to Panama. Its rich geographic area is blessed with mineral, petroleum, hydropower and commercial resources (IndexMundi, 2012). Panama, on the other hand, has a population of 3.5 million and with a growth rate of 1.5% (IndexMundi, 2012). It has a 0.4 migration per a thousand of populace based and 75% of its people are residing in urban communities (IndexMundi, 2012). Panama has bilingual language: English and Spanish with predominant Roman Catholic religion. The country has allocated about 3.8% of its GDP for education and around 8.3% for health. Panama likewise is blessed with copper. Mahogany forests, hydropower and good shrimp culture among many other natural resources of commercial values. Costa Rica’s Pol-Economy Clare, Seanz and Trejos (2002) pointed that there are empirical evidences showing the decline of Costa Rica’s income per capita in the last decade albeit good economic standing in economic input. Clare et al. (2002) opined that the situation seemed amazing because the 80s to the 90s was the period when the country is undertaking serious reform in trading and fiscal performance. Re searcher attributed this mediocre 0.7% annual growth rate of income per capita to influential factors of development: demographic changes (Clare et al., 2002). The latter meant an increasing figure of labor productivity in industrial and agricultural sectors. Economists posit that such increase in participation in production, particularly women and immigrants from Nicaragua. While increased number of labor forces meant growth of income, however, economic activity is slowed by poor labor productivity. Labor productivity has only reached a poor rate of 1.57% in Costa Rica compared to 3-4% labor productivity in East Asian countries (Clare et al., 2002). Using growth accounting, researchers pointed that slow labor productivity growth is reflected in slight negative growth rate of total factor productivity (Clare et al., 2002). This finding is bit odd because the in the last four decades, multitude of technological advancements are poured in this country to support the labor forces in pr oduction. Further study using sectoral analysis was in fact utilized to determine whether slow growth of productivity is a universal phenomenon or merely underplayed by a particular sector. Oddly, Clare et al. (2002) found that the industrial and agricultural sectors continued to attain high rates labor growth productivity and TFP while the service sector stagnates in the production. Researchers opined that it’s ironic for the service sector to have decreasing production output noting that it’s absorbing a large share of resources. As a matter of fact, the service sector of Costa Rica has been allocated with budget higher than that of Brazil and Chile (Clare et al. 2002). Economists assumed that the service sector have difficulties in capturing its market. In a disaggregate

Friday, October 4, 2019

What does Unconscionable Mean Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

What does Unconscionable Mean - Term Paper Example To identify whether that a contract is unconscionable or not one must understand and analyze the questions of competency, fairness, and honesty. A competent person would never enter to an unconscionable contract. Generally, the level of competency hinges on the age of a person. For instance, an adolescent singer who signs a contract with a music executive who shows unfair favoritism towards the music company than the court can rule it as unconscionable contract due to the relative expertise and age of the music director. Questions of honesty are concerned with whether the facts of the contract have been truly represented or misrepresented by one of the parties. The Times Magazine of July 3, 1986 reports a case of frail old man aging 80 years who obtained relief after having agreed to sell his bungalow for  £2950 when the actual price should have been  £29,500. The contract was declared void and deemed an unconscionable contract. Adhesion contracts are also categorized as a form of unconscionable contract. In adhesion contracts, a contract is prepared by one party on a â€Å"take it or leave it† basis. An employee named Paul Mantor worked for circuit city during 90’s. In 1995, the company planned to enter into a contract with the employees regarding signing an agreement for an arbitration program to prevent the employees from filing lawsuits as they resulted in prohibitive litigation costs. The managers admonished the employees to sign the agreement or either be prepared for termination. Mantor resisted from signing the agreement in the first place but was forced to sign the agreement by 1998. When he was terminated in 2000, he filed a lawsuit at the trial level court where it was ruled that the problem should be solved through arbitration since he had signed the contract.

Thursday, October 3, 2019

Conclusions with further remarks Essay Example for Free

Conclusions with further remarks Essay Undeniably, the factors that seemingly adhere onto the level of security of certain vicinities may be hard to simplify. Given the fact that individuals come in different ideals, beliefs and characteristics, the greed over power and sovereignty is implicitly the main reason why the issue on security and the plague on terrorism are undeniably swallowing the minds of the society (Laqueur, 1999). With such, it is an astounding standpoint that countries are now paying much attention on the ‘security’ of its people and the preparations onto competence in the arena of globalization (Buzan et al. , 1997). As the Australian Securitisation Forum Inc. notes in their mission: â€Å"To shape the future of the Australian securitisation industry for the ongoing benefit of its members,† piously, if the mission be fulfilled in the most ideal sense as it had been established, the attainment of the goals and hopes of the nation and of the world will be at reach in the most unifying array. Our purpose is an examination of the second issue—the politys response to the government’s move to the provision of security. Consequently, while passing reference may be made to causative factors (indeed, governmental response and the labeling of security may be viewed as causative) (Snyder, 1999), this work is most concerned with the manner in which conflict and consensus theories might interpret and predict governmental reactions to violence and other threats of the like. In essence, this horizon of defining the exactness of ‘security’ is still vague as of the time being because keeping up a nation under â€Å"maximum security† is vulnerable to jeopardizing consequences. References: BUZAN, B. W? VER, O. (2004) Regions and Powers: The Structure of International Security, New York, Cambridge University Press. BUZAN, B. , WVER, O. , WILDE, J. D. WAEVER, O. (1997) Security: A New Framework for Analysis, Florida, Lynne Rienner Pub. DEACON, J. (2004) Global Securitisation and CDOs, New York, Wiley. HAFTENDORN, H. (1991) The Security Puzzle: Theory-Building and Discipline-Building in International Security KRAUSE, K. WILLIAMS, M. C. (1996) Broadening the Agenda of Security Studies: Politics and Methods. Mershon International Studies Review, 40, 229-524. KUPCHAN, C. A. KUPCHAN, C. A. (1995) The Promise of Collective Security. 20, 52-61. MANWARING, M. G. (2003) The Search for Security, New York, Praeger Publishers. MORRISSEY, H. (1992) International Securitisation, New York NY, Ifr Publishing. PAQUETTE, L. (2002) Strategy and Ethnic Conflict: A Method, Theory, and Case Study, New York, Praeger Publishers. SNYDER, C. (1999) Contemporary Security and Strategy, New York, Routledge.

How Can a Nurse Improve and Develop Professional Identity?

How Can a Nurse Improve and Develop Professional Identity? According to DeJong 2014, professionalism can be defined as the means of acting in an acceptable and appropriate way while adhering to a professional code of conduct. It also means completing given tasks and responsibilities on time. On the other hand a Professional identity can be described as a set of principles that define a person in their professional career. A professional identity can also be defined according to the attitudes, beliefs, experiences, ideals, professional involvement, need for advancement and codes of a given career. These virtues determine the kind of people we interact with in our lines of profession. These experiences and professional interactions tend to define ones professional identity. In the line of nursing professionalism is significantly essential if nurses are expected to provide quality and effective services and care to their clients and to the population as a whole. In health care Professionalism is regarded as a bridge between the interests of the nurse and the needs of society. It is evident that better professionalism is associated with good medical care and better health outcomes in general. (DeJong et al 2014). Nurses need to be able to develop and improve their imaginative and creative skills in order to attain and improve effective patient care. In a research by O’Brien, Strzyzewski and Szpara 2013, on nurses working in the surgical department it was found that by creating an organized process of educational projects to encourage, support and promote professionalism nurses were able to improve their professional identity and complete their practice successfully safely and effectively. In order to achieve the best results Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS) and Educational Nurse Coordinators (ENCs) in the surgical unit developed meetings for nurses with the medical librarians and unit leaders. Teaching was carried out by use of posters and oral presentations. Through this nurses were able to master effective ways of generating ideas and implementing them to complete projects. (O’Brien, Strzyzewski and Szpara 2013). There are many factors that influence professional competence for nurses for example organization of work, personal characteristics, cognitive abilities and clinical knowledge. In order for a nurse to be able to undergo Professional growth they need to be committed to their work in order to able to fulfill their work tasks. Professional identity is usually accompanied by the workers’ self-concept; self-respect, identity, essential nature, team spirit and values. Moreover for a nurse to improve their professional identity they need to be flexible and resilient in their field of work. This means that nurses need to believe in oneself and be willing to take risks. In addition to that they have a career insight in order to be able to establish realistic career goals by being aware of their strengths and weaknesses. (Tamm 2010). There are some inevitable factors in the health sector that demand for professional growth and that has impact on the management, employers and the employees. First creation of new knowledge, there are changes in the scientific and technical knowledge every few years which demand nurses to update their education levels from time to time. Secondly technological innovations are taking place so rapidly that nurses have to be willing to sharpen their skills and change with the changing times. Lastly, the upcoming of more challenging tasks demands for professional development in order for nurses to be able to cope efficiently. (Willetts and Clarke 2012). Development of professional identity according to Tamm 2010, starts with how individuals view their work roles and how good they manage their work life and related practices. Moreover professional identity is a process of becoming independent and having self-awareness through work. For a nurse to be able to develop and improve their identity they first have to have a professional self-concept and respect, in short they need to accept their roles as nurses. Nurses begin to build their professional identities during their study period and continue to develop all through their work life. Development of professional identity is a life course process comprising of different stages. Which range from novice to expert. (Tamm et al 2010). In conclusion development is accompanied by professional maturity which is a nurse’s preparedness to handle work tasks in different phases of their work. Nurses need to be cognitively prepared, this means that they need to have sufficient knowledge on principles of health care to be able to apply them in real life situations. In additional to that nurse need to have knowledge on the nature of the profession and the occupational sphere. (Willetts et al 2012). In my opinion there are numerous number of factors that have effect on the development and improvement on a nursing professional identity. I have learnt a lot of new information from this assignment. It is a broad topic and I feel I still have a whole lot more to learn about developing my professional identity in the future. REFERENCES D. O’Brien, N. Strzyzewski and T.Szpara 2013, Getting to Success: Supporting Staff Nurses to Enhance Practice and Professionalism. Journal of PeriAnesthesia Nursing. Volume 28, Issue 3, June 2013, Pages e34  Available: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1089947213002037#  Accessed 7th September 2014 G. Willetts and D.Clarke 2012 The shaping of Professional Identity in Nursing: An ethnographic Case Study  Available: http://global-qhr.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/Abstracts.pdf Accessed 7th September 2014  S .M. DeJong 2014 Chapter One–What is Professionalism? Social Media and Online Professionalism in Health Care 2014, Pages 1–11  Available: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780124081284000011  Accessed 7th September 2014 Tiia Tamm, 2010 Professional Identity and Self-concept of Estonian Social Workers .University of Tampere  Available: http://tampub.uta.fi/bitstream/handle/10024/66631/978-951-44-8115-4.pdf?sequence=1#page=69zoom=180,-4,613  Accessed 7th September 2014 Stem Bark Extracts of Anthocleista: Antioxidant Properties Stem Bark Extracts of Anthocleista: Antioxidant Properties Original 1 Research Article PHYTOCHEMICAL AND ANTIOXIDANT PROPERTIES  OF STEM BARK EXTRACTS OF ANTHOCLEISTA NOBILIS ABSTRACT Aim: This study was carried out to determine the phytochemical and antioxidant properties of extracts  of Anthocleista nobilis. Methodology: Acetone and methanol extracts of A. nobilis were investigated for their free radical scavenging activities in the presence of diphenyl picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) using ascorbic acid as positive control. Results: In the phytochemical screening of the plant extracts, results showed that both extracts recorded the presence of alkaloids, tannins, flavonoids, and glycosides. The acetone and methanol extracts of A. nobilis exhibited significant free radical scavenging activities in the DPPH assay with the  acetone extract recording better activity. The antioxidant activity of the two extracts was however, lower than that recorded by the positive control-ascorbic acid. Conclusion: The result suggests that the extracts have potential antioxidant properties which could be  exploited in medicine and food industry. Keyword: Anthocleista nobilis, antioxidant, DPPH. 1. INTRODUCTION Plants have been utilized by humans to treat various infectious and non-infectious diseases since the  beginning of time as they constitute a reliable source of therapy. In addition, they are also the primary  source for many of today’s medicines [1,2,3]. For instance, purified secondary metabolites such as vinca alkaloids are used widely in cancer chemotherapy [4].Quinine and artemisinin, derived from the  bark of the cinchona and qinghaosu trees respectively and their derivatives have been widely used for  the treatment of malaria [5,6,7]. Some of these secondary metabolites are synthesized for specific purposes by plants. Others may be  by-products of plant metabolism which currently have no known biological function. Hydroxylated  coumarins have been reported to accumulate in carrots in response to fungal invasion [8],  glucosinolates, recognized for their antimicrobial properties[9], have also been reported in Brassia  rapa in response to fungal infection/attack [10]. These secondary metabolites fall under one of the major phytochemicals such as flavonoids, tannins,  glycosides, steroids, terpenes, etc. Although these compounds are known to be bioactive, a lot is yet  to known about their mechanisms of action. Some of these groups of compounds such as flavonoids,  proanthocyanidins and tannins are polyphenols or phenolic [11]. Phenolics are known for their  antioxidant properties [12]. Antioxidants are molecules that halt oxidation processes while the molecules get oxidized in the  process. The antioxidant activity of phenolics is derived from their ability to act as reducing agents,  donating hydrogen, electrons and stabilizing reactive oxygen species (ROS) [13]. ROS such as  hydroxyl radicals (OH.), superoxide anion radicals (O2  .) and singlet oxygen (145 O2) have been implicated  in many disease processes such cancer, diabetes, ageing, atherosclerosis and neurodegeneration[14]. Consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables rich in plant polyphenols(antioxidants) as food has  been reported as a protection against several diseases which include cancer, cardiovascular  diseases, diabetes, asthma etc. [15] suggesting that the mechanism of action of the secondary  metabolites can be traced to their antioxidant properties. ROS can cause the deterioration of food by  causing lipid peroxidation. The rancid odor and taste of lipid containing food such as palm oil occur as  result of lipid peroxidation which in turn affects the nutritional value and safety 52 of such food items  [16]. Recently, the use of synthetic preservatives and other additives has been linked to increased  prevalence of cancer. For instance, sodium nitrate and sodium nitrite used to preserve processed  meat has been implicated in bowel cancer [17]. As a result, the demand for natural food preservatives  has been rising steadily [14] and that prompted the European Union funded AGROCOS to include the  replacement of synthetic preservatives and other ingredients as part of the FP7 research topics which  has yielded about 30 natural compounds for the food and cosmetic industries presently being further  tested by Greek and German companies [18]. Anthocleista nobilis which is commonly called the candelabrum or cabbage tree in English language,  Duwa Kuchi in Nupe language, Kwari in Hausa language and Apa Ora in Yoruba language belongs to  the family Loganiaceae [19]. Anthocleista nobilisis used in local medicine in parts of West Africa for  curing fever, stomach ache, diarrhoea, and gonorrhoea, and are also aspoultice for sores [20,21]. The  present study was designed to investigate the antioxidant properties of extracts of Anthocleista nobilis  by measuring their free radical scavenging properties with aim of confirming the ethnobotanical use  and assessing their suitability as preservatives in the food industry. 2. MATERIALS AND METHODS 2.1 Sample collection The stem barks of A. nobilis were collected in March, 2014 from Ezza Community in Ebonyi state,  Nigeria. They were identified by a plant taxonomist in the Department of Pharmacognosy and  Traditional Medicine, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Nigeria.  The plant material was pulverized into fine powder using a mechanical grinding machine. 2.2 Extraction   500 g of thepulverized plant was macerated in 1 Liter of acetone and methanol respectively for 48  hrs.The mixture was sieved using porcelain cloth and was further filtered using No. 1 Whatman filter  Ã‚  paper. The filtrate was concentrated using rotary evaporator and the crude concentrate was then  stored at 4o80 C until required for further experiment. 2.3 Phytochemical Screening   In the phytochemical analysis of the extracts of A. nobilis stem barks, tests for alkaloids, tannins,  saponins, flavonoids, steroids, cardiac glycosides, and terpenoids were carried out using standard  methods reported by Trease and Evans [19]. 2.4 In vitro free radical scavenging activity of the extract (Diphenyl dipicrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free  radical scavenging activity) The free radical scavenging activity of the various extracts and ascorbic acid was measured with  DPPH. Three (3) mL of DPPH in methanol solution was added 100 ÃŽ ¼L of different concentrations of  extracts (10-1000 ÃŽ ¼g/mL). After 30 minutes, the absorbances of the extract solutions ion methanol  were measured at 517 nm after calibration with methanol. Lower absorbance indicated higher free  radical scavenging activity. The antioxidant activity of the extracts was expressed as IC50 which was  defined as the concentration of the extracts that inhibited the formation of DPPH radical by 50 %. Each  experiment was carried out in triplicate. The average absorbance for each triplicate was calculated  and the percentage inhibition of the extracts at different doses calculated using the formula:   %Inhibition 100 o s o A A x A −   Ãƒ ¯Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ½ Where Ao is absorbance of control and As the absorbance of tested extracts. 3. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION The antioxidant activity of the extracts of A. nobilis was investigated and the results were compared to  Ã‚  that of ascorbic acid which was used as the positive control. The results are shown in Figures 1. Also,  Ã‚  the result of the phytochemical analysis links the presence of flavonoids and other polyphenols to the  Ã‚  antioxidant activities observed. Different levels of the secondary metabolites based on the tests  Ã‚  carried out were observed as displayed in Table 1. Table 1. Result of the Phytochemical Analysis of A. nobilis Extracts UNDER PEER REVIEW Alkaloids Tannins Saponins Flavonoids Glycosides Terpenoids Steroids Methanol extract ++ +++ ++ + ++ Acetone extract + ++ ++ + ++ +++ = Abundantly present; ++ = Moderately present; += Mildly 108 present; =Absent Figure 1. Comparison between free radical scavenging activities of acetone and methanol  extracts of A. nobilis and ascorbic acid determined using DPPH. IC50 for Acetone extract= 400  ÃŽ ¼g/mL; Methanol extract= 800 ÃŽ ¼g/mL; Ascorbic acid= 30 ÃŽ ¼g/mL. The bark of A. nobilis is used as warm expellant and as antimalarial remedy amongst other  Ã‚  ethnobotanical uses by the Ezza people in Nigeria. The result of this study showed that the crude  Ã‚  extracts showed significant antioxidant properties with the acetone extract of A. nobilis recording an  Ã‚  IC50 of 400 ÃŽ ¼g/ml. The methanol extract of A. nobilis had the lowest antioxidant activity with an IC50 of  Ã‚  800 ÃŽ ¼g/mL.   However, the acetone extract of A. nobilis which had the best antioxidant activity compared to the  methanol extract had moderate presence of terpenoids, flavonoids and tannins. Flavonoids and  Ã‚  tannins are polyphenols which are known to have potent antioxidant properties due to there reducing  Ã‚  ability [23]. The lower activity observed can be explained by the fact that flavonoids only exihibit  Ã‚  antioxidant properties if features such ortho-dihydroxy substitution in the B-ring, C2-C3 double bond  Ã‚  and a carbonyl group in C-4 of the C-ring are present [24]. Quercetin is a good example of a flavonoid  Ã‚  with such structural features and it has a high antioxidant property [25]. Although the free radical scavenging activities observed for the extracts were not as much as that  observed for ascorbic acid which was the positive control, the antioxidant activity of the extracts, can  be said to be significant considering that the extracts were in the crude form. Further purification of the  aqueous extract is expected to produce pure compounds with improved antioxidant property. 4. CONCLUSION The findings of this study reveal that Anthocleista nobilis possess antioxidant property. This provides a  scientific basis for the ethnomedicinal utilization of this plant. The antioxidant property of this plant  may qualify it for use as preservatives of natural origin in the food industry. Further tests are needed to explore the exact mechanism of action at the molecular level and to know the actual 138 constituents  responsible for these activities. %inhibition Concentration(ÃŽ ¼g/ml) % Inhibition Versus Concentration Acetone extract Methanol extract Ascorbic acid UNDER PEER REVIEW REFERENCES Krishna S, Bustamante L, Haynes RK, Staines HM, Artemisinins: their growing importance in  medicine. Trends PharmacolSci. 2008, 29(10):520-527. Akhondzadeh S, Noroozian M, Mohammadi M, Ohadinia S, Jamshidi AH, Khani M, Melissa  officinalis extract in the treatment of patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease: a double  blind, randomised, placebo controlled trial. J Neurol, Neurosurgery Psych. 2003, 74(7):863-866. Luciano-Montalvo C, Boulogne I, Gavillà ¡n-Suà ¡rez J. A screening for activities of Carribean herbal  remedies. BMC Comp Alter med. 2013, 13:126. Sahenk Z, Brady ST, Mendell JR. Studies on the pathogenesis of vincristine-induced  neuropathy. Muscle Nerve. 1987, 10(1):80-84. Haynes RK, Krishna S: Artemisinins, activities and actions. Microb Infect. 2004, 6(14):1339-1346.   Bucher C, Sparr C, Schweizer WB, Gilmour R, Fluorinated Quinine Alkaloids, Synthesis, X-ray  Structure Analysis and Antimalarial Parasite Chemotherapy. Chem-A Euro J. 2009, 15(31):7637-77. Wright C, Plant derived antimalarial agents, new leads and challenges, PhytochemRev. 2005, 4(1):55-61. Darvill, A. G. and Albersheim, P.: Phytoalexins and their elicitors a defense against microbial  infection in plants. Annu Rev Plant Physiol. 1984, 35:243-275. Al-Gendy AA, El-gindi OD, Hafez AS, Ateya AM, Glucosinolates, volatile constituents and  biological activities of Erysimum corinthium Boiss. (Brassicaceae). Food Chem.  2010, 118(3):519-524. Abdel-Farid IB, Jahangir M, van den Hondel CAMJJ, Kim HK, Choi YH, Verpoorte R: Fungal  infection-induced metabolites in Brassica rapa. Plant Sci. 2009, 176:608-615. Cowan M, Plant products as antimicrobial agents, Clinical Microbiol Rev. 1999, 12:564-582 Khan RA, Khan MR, Sahreen S, Ahmed M. Evaluation of phenolic contents and antioxidantactivity  of various solvent extracts of Sonchusasper (L.) Hill. Chem Central J. 2012, 6:12 Huda-Faujan N, Noriham A, Norrakiah AS, Babji AS, Antioxidant activity of plants methanolic  extracts containing phenolic compounds.African JBiotech.2009, 8:484-489 Saeed N, Khan MR, Shabbir M. Antioxidant activity, total phenolic and totalflavonoid contents of  whole plant extracts of Torilis leptophylla. LBMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine.  2012,12:221-233. Pandey KB, Rizvi SI, Plant polyphenols as dietary antioxidants in human health and disease. Oxid  Med Cell Longev. 2009, 2: 270–278. Monica Leopoldini M, Russo N, Toscano M, The molecular basis of working mechanism of natural  polyphenolic antioxidants Food Chem 2011, 125:288-306. Zhu H, Yang X, Zhang C, Zhu C, Tao G, Zhao L, Shu, Z, Cai J, Dai, S, Qin, Q, Xu, L, Cheng H,  Tang T, Sun X. Red and processed meat intake is associated with higher gastric cancer risk: a  meta-analysis of epidemiological observational studies Plos one 2013, 8:1-10. ESASTAP (2014). EU Project hunts for natural substitutes for synthetics.  http://www.esastap.org.za/news/20140911.php (accessed 27/09/2014).  Ã‚   Ayodele PO, Okonko IO, Evans E, Okerentugba PO, Nwanze JC, Onoh CC. Effect of  AnthocleistaNobilis Root Extract on the Haematological Indices of Poultry Chicken Challenged  with Newcastle Disease Virus (NDV). Science and Nature.2013, 2(2): 65-73. Irvine, FR. Woody plants of Ghana. Oxford University Press, London, UK.1961. pp.194, 208, 548. Dokosi, OB. Herbs of Ghana. Ghana Universities Press. 1998. pp. 615-623. Trease GE, Evans WC. Pharmacognosy.11th Edn, Balliere and Tindall. Eastbourne, London  1983, pp: 243-551. Rodrigues HG, Diniz YS, Faine LA, Galhardi CM, Burneiko RC, Almeida JA, Ribas BO, Novelli EL,  Antioxidant effect of saponin: potential action of a soybean flavonoid on glucose tolerance and risk  factors for atherosclerosis.Int J Food Sci Nutr. 2005. 56(2):79-85. Chen Y, Miao Y, Huang L, Li J, Sun H, Zhao Y, Yang JY, Zhou W. Antioxidant activities of  saponins extracted from Radix trichosanthis: an in vivo and in vitro evaluation. BMC Complement  Ã‚  Alt Med.2014,14:86-94. Zhang H, Zhou Q, Tyrosinase Inhibitory Effects and Antioxidative Activities of Saponins from  XanthocerasSorbifolia Nutshell, PlosOne 2013, 8:e70090-e70096

Wednesday, October 2, 2019

Charles Manson: Serial Murderer and Cult Figure :: Charlie Manson Family

Charles Manson: Serial Murderer and Cult Figure Charles Manson is known as one of the most sinister and evil criminals of all time. He organized the murders that shocked the world and his name still strikes fear into American hearts. Manson's childhood, personality, and uncanny ability to control people led to the creation of a family-like cult and ultimately to the bloody murders of numerous innocent people. Charles M. Manson was born in Cincinnati, Ohio on November 11, 1934. His mother, Kathleen Maddox, was a teenage prostitute. Manson's father walked out on the still pregnant Maddox, never to be seen again. In order to give her bastard son a name, Ms. Maddox married William Manson. He soon abandoned the both of them. Manson's mother often neglected Charles after her husband left her. She tried to put him into a foster home, but the arrangements fell through. As a last resort she sent Charles to school in Terre Haute, Indiana. Mrs. Manson failed to make the payments for the school and once again Charles was sent back to his mother's abuse. At only fourteen, Manson left his mother and rented a room for himself. He supported himself with odd jobs and petty theft. His mother turned him into the juvenile authorities, who had him sent to "Boys Town," a juvenile detention center, near Omaha, Nebraska. Charles spent a total of three days in "Boys Town" before running away. He was arrested in Peoria, Illinois for robbing a grocery store and was then sent to the Indiana Boys School in Plainfield, Indiana, where he ran away another eighteen times before he was caught and sent to the National Training School for Boys in Washington D.C. Manson never had a place to call "home" or a real family. He spent his childhood being sent from one place to another, and trouble always seemed to follow him. His mother's negligence left Manson without a home and without much of a future. Manson turned to crime to support himself, and he soon became very good at it. When just a child, he became a criminal and spent his last years of childhood in a correctional facility. After his release from the training school in 1954, a new period of Manson's life began. He went to West Virginia and soon married a girl named Rosalie Jean Willis. She became pregnant and Manson had a child. This was Manson's first real family, but he

Antigone †The First Feminist Essay -- Antigone Essays

Antigone – The First Feminist How old is feminism, and who was the first feminist? Although no one can say for sure the exact date on which the feminist movement started, most of it is attributed to the past two centuries. However, women who are feminists have been around much longer. In Sophocles’s Antigone, the main character (Antigone) acts as a protofeminist by defying the authority of a patriarchal society and taking action according to what she believes is right in her heart. She even shows some characteristics of a modern feminist. Feminists today are viewed as raging, man-hating bitches, but feminism in its true sense simply advocates women’s rights. While there are extremes on either side of the scale, most feminists fight for equality among the sexes rather than dominance of one over the other. Antigone can be considered a feminist because she challenges the â€Å"men-make-the-rules-and-women-follow-them-unquestioningly† mentality of the society she lives in. Antigone’s character is indeed among the first to stand up for women in a society that has remained patriarcha...

Tuesday, October 1, 2019

Many scholars and practitioners admit that ABC has several pitfalls

Activity-Based Costing ( ABC ) method is the most well-known direction accounting invention in the last 20 old ages. It is primary used to heighten the productiveness and efficiency in the concern procedure ; to assist make budgets and set monetary values ; to sort client costs and better client dealingss ; to do determinations on strategic issues ; and to turn to external dialogue issues. ABC has been frequently used together with other direction tools and methods depending on the overall aims of specific enterprises. This paper analyzes ABC undertaking executions in assorted industries, identifies issues related to such executions and offers a model for maximal benefits.LITERATURE REVIEWWe have investigated recent literature in the countries of concern, direction, accounting, and finance, among others, reviewed over 20 articles related to ABC and identified 5 articles relevant to ABC executions. Based on the reappraisal of published literature from 1998 to 2009, we analyzed the usa ge of ABC. In a sum of 18 articles looking in accounting, finance, and public presentation direction diaries, we found that ABC was chiefly applied in the undermentioned five countries.Synthesis of ABC DevelopmentsMany bookmans and practicians admit that ABC has several booby traps. We can name the major unfavorable judgments as follows: †¢ A batch of practicians explain that ABC systems are expensive to implement, clip consuming and difficult to set. For case, Kaplan and Anderson ( 2007, p. 5 ) has described the ABC system of Hendee Enterprises, a Houston-based maker of sunshades. They explain that the ABC package took three yearss to cipher costs for the company ‘s 150 activities, 10,000 orders and 45,000 line points. †¢ A batch of failures have been compiled, particularly in the service industries. †¢ Finally, a batch of people think that the ABC method is excessively complex. As a effect, it sometimes fails to clear up the decision-making procedure and the scheme of the house. This is why since its early phases, several specific applications based on the ABC method have been suggested. Table 1 shows a synthesis of these applications. Their aims are: †¢ To diversify the costs objects ( merchandises, services, procedures, clients, markets, etc. ) †¢ To widen the analysis margin ( spacial and temporal broadening ) , and †¢ To find the relevant degree of inside informations to analyse the costs. These aim show a common aim, which is, to direct the computation of the costs towards the cardinal value factors of the house. In Table 1, we distinguish the three groups of techniques. †¢ The first one gathers those which enable spacial broadening of the costs margin. Some of them suggest to broaden the cost analysis to the clients ( customer-driven ABC ) , others to the rivals ( benchmarking-driven ABC ) , to the environment ( environmental-driven ABC ) , or to the providers and spouses ( interorganizational cost direction and open-book accounting ) . This list of solutions is non comprehensive. †¢ The 2nd one brings together those which allow analysis of future costs ( Activity-Based Budgeting ( ABB ) , Antos and Brimson, 1999 ) and a temporal broadening of the costs perimeter. These solutions consist of uniting the ABC method to the life rhythm bing or to the mark costing ( Horvath et al. , 1998 ) . We can besides associate the mark bing to a specific version of ABC called characteristic costing ( Cokins, 2002 ) . The characteristic costing ( Brimson, 1998 ) introduces another degree of analysis in the ABC method which is the merchandises characteristics. Several research workers have identified the links between the ABC and the mark bing methods. Lebas ( 1999, pp. 506-507 ) explains that ABC implies taking into history the value that the clients attribute to the merchandises. This is a rule of the mark bing method and this has a strong impact on the house ‘s cost rational construction. †¢ With the 3rd one, we put together techniques which propose to find the relevant degrees to analyse the costs, depending on the characteristics ( strategic and organisational ) of a house. In some instances, the procedures and scheme complexnesss are tremendous. The ABC method is deficient, so we need another attack to apportion the resources. The Resource Consumption Accounting ( RCA ) method ( Keys and van der Merwe, 2002 ) finish the ABC with a deeper analysis of resources. In other state of affairss, the complexness of the procedure is low and the ABC method is excessively elaborate. So, we can convey together several activities to put up a ‘meta-activity ‘ or a procedure with a individual cost driver. This is the premise of the procedure costing ( Horngren et al. , 2005 ) and the tip accounting methods. We besides analyze the time-driven ABC ( Kaplan and Anderson, 2007 ) which is an ‘equivalence method ‘ . It is the most recent ABC development. It is clearly a simplification of the ABC. With this technique, the activity film editing can be more simple ( like with procedure costing and thin accounting ) . But it can besides be more refined ( like RCA ) . Then, we conduct a more accurate analysis of several of these applications.To heighten productiveness and efficiency in the concern procedureIn USA, the authorities bureaus every bit good as the private sectors have embraced ABC to assist place working countries that could be more productive or efficient. For illustration, the United States Coast Guard and the metropolis of Indianapolis analyzed the cost of operations ( Kline and James, Journal of Mangement Issues, 2003 ) . An Air Force Base used ABC informations to cut down costs associated with denudation and painting an aircraft ( American Industrial Hygiene Associatio n, 2003 ) . ABC was used to assist an electricity company to turn to how efficiently operational activities add to the concern procedure and the optimum mix of resources necessary to expeditiously execute these activities ( Management Accounting, 80, 5:30-31, 1998. Lawson, a package confer withing house implemented ABC to place, proctor, and pull off the costs, activities, and processes involved in developing a new income generated service adviser ( Dub, Susan, ABC at Lawson, 1998 ) . In Paper Mills, ABC was applied with benchmarking to acquire the production inputs and resources ( Fogelholm, John. , 2006 ) .To assist make budgets and set monetary valuesTeva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. implemented ABC to assist put transportation monetary values among its divisions ( Kaplan, Robert, Norton, Harvard Business School Press: Converting Intangible Assetss into Tangible Income, 2004 ) . It is reported from experimental grounds on the virtues of ABC for monetary value scene in a competi tory market that differ in their ability to supply enlightening feedback ( Cardinaels, Eddy, Roodhooft, Filip, Warlop, Luk, Decisions: Journal of Management Accounting Research, 16, 133-148, 2004 ) . ABC can besides be used as a capital budgeting tool. A Fortune 500 company used ABC to turn out the viability of a capital investing of constructing a cybermall ( Coburn, Steve, Grove, Hugh, Cook, Tom, 1997 ) .To place client costs and better client dealingssThe usage of ABC and Customer Relation Management ( CRM ) aid companies analyze their clients, costs, and profitableness and assist them aline with their strategic ends ( Anderson, Brad, 2004 ) . In a bank, ABC was applied to clear up the relationship between resources and merchandise or client costs ( McDonald, Robert, 2004 ) . An ABC enterprise helped Kimberly Clark alter its internal procedure and besides convert its clients to alter the methods of cargos ( Cokins, Gary, 2004 ) . With ABC informations, Mahany Welding Supply ident ified concern activities and cost drivers more accurately, assisting to better the bringing service ( Krupnicki, Michael, Tyson, Thomas, 1997 ) . A impermanent employment company used ABC to place the public presentation of client channels ( Searcy, DeWayne, 2004 ) .To do determinations on strategic issuesAt Carrier Corporation, ABC information was used to cipher the fiscal benefits of cut downing rhythm times, natural stuff, work-in-process stock lists, and storage infinite demands every bit good as to do determinations on operation outsourcing ( Kaplan, Robert, 1997 ) . ABC attempts at Reichhold, Inc. improved the company ‘s capacity direction, rhythm times, value-added pricing determinations, and analysis of a fabrication works ( Palmer, Richard, 1998 ) . For little fabrication companies, ABC showed that most of the costs calculated for big occupations were lower under the volume-base theoretical account than the ABC theoretical account. ABC besides discovered that profitab leness began to diminish at certain occupation sizes ( Needy, Kim, Nachtmann, 2003 ) . Website www.Art.com applied ABC to steer resource allotment and determination devising ( Zeller, Thomas, 2001 )To turn to external dialogue issuesABC informations helps companies better negotiate contracts with outside sellers. The Hospice of Cardinal Kentucky negotiated with insurance companies and put payment footings that are more advantageous for the infirmary ( Baxendale, Sidney, 2000 ) . The ABC information besides prompt direction to educate referral beginnings to convey patients to hospital before acute attention becomes necessary. GE Capital Commercial Services implemented ABC to forestall losingss ensuing from underbidding ( Byerly, Davis, 2003 ) . It seems most of the ABC applications start with placing the cost of production or service bringing and so continue with either bettering efficiency or altering the work flow or activities to do the concern procedure more effectual. In several cases, the ABC enterprises were farther extended to do strategic determinations turn toing the corporate degree issues such as concern alliance or competitory determination devising. It clearly shows that ABC has been applied to a broad scope of industry sectors and functional spheres.