The Case for Year-Round Schooling Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Case for Year-Round Schooling - Essay Example Year-round schools also reduce costs to the school system, freeing up more of the budget for student supplies and teacher salaries. Therefore, I advocate a change in public education to the use of year-round scheduling. Year-Round Schooling and Today's Students Year-round education better fits the needs of modern families and will increase access to education. The school calender that is currently in use in most American schools today is based around an outdated model. This model assumes that access to schooling will be increased if students were permitted a vacation for a summer of agricultural labor and remained in classes for the slower winter months. The traditional school calendar is not designed around the needs of children but around the needs of farmers (Ballinger and Kneese). However, the great majority of working adults today work approximately the same number of hours each day regardless of the season (Ballinger and Kneese). This means that during long summer breaks, paren ts are required to find other caretakers for their children. In addition, part of the reasoning behind the use of the traditional school calendar was due to a lack of cooling ability in school buildings during the hot summer months. Avoiding sending students to school meant that they were not trapped in overheated school buildings during the day (Steinbach). However, in today's poor urban neighborhoods, while the schools will have air conditioning, many of the homes the students live in will not. Up to a third of American households have no air conditioning units of any kind (Battles). Use of a year-round schedule would allow the children from those households to benefit from the air conditioning systems in their schools. The environment in their homes would interfere with the ability of poor students to learn and study on their own during the summer; switching to a year-round schedule would increase the educational access of those students. One argument against year-round schooling is the need for high school aged students to take on summer employment. However, the recent economic downturn in the United States has nearly wiped out the teenage job market, as the positions previously taken by the fourteen to seventeen year old segment are often now being taken by high school graduates, seniors, and even college graduates. The struggle to obtain a job under these conditions means that the possibility of earnings does not outweigh the educational benefits of the year-round calendar; a better education means higher earning power in the future, more than offsetting possible lost income while in high school. Also, studies have shown that in order to best boost their earning power later in life, these students should be seeking year-round part-time employment, instead of simply relying on working part time for only a few months of the year. Year-round employment is available in a much wider range of industries than is temporary work, which would also benefit these te enage workers. Far from hurting the earning power of high school students, the year-round educational schedule would force them to expand their horizons and build a relevant resume for a future career (National Youth Employment Coalition). Year-Round Schooling and Academic Success Traditional calendars provide students with a summer break that is almost three months long.

Article Critique Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 3

Article Critique - Essay Example The Great Conversation is a means to involve community in the educational process. It consists of two different tracks: informal and formal. Vollmer cites the remarkable progress in relations achieved using the Great Conversation in Colorado, Wisconsin, and Kentucky. However, he does not give the details of these three situations. He merely makes a few vague comments about the schools systems and their relationship to the public. One of the major drawbacks of the article is that Vollmer largely ignores the informal track of the Great Conversation. While he admits that the focus of his article is the formal track, he devotes only three short paragraphs to the informal track. If an approach to public relations involves two main tracks, an article should address both equally in order to create a balanced view. Vollmer seems to bias the article toward the formal track. Vollmer uses the last half of his article to explaining the formal track of the Great Conversation. ... The most obvious errors in the article are two. Firstly, the major obstacle to creating public relations programs between schools and the community is a lack of time on the part of both parties. Vollmer never addresses how the Great Conversation solves this fundamental problem. If anything, the article points out that public relations programs are almost impossible to create due to the time commitment needed on both sides. Secondly, and most importantly, author Jamie Vollmer is president of Vollmer, Inc., a public education advocacy firm focusing on increasing community involvement in education. Clearly, he has bias in relation to the subject about which he is writing. His firm exists to help schools create and maintain public relations programs. Additionally, the firm sells certain approaches to public relations to school districts. There can be little doubt that Vollmer sells a package that includes the Great Conversation. Finally, as Vollmer is president of the firm, he is respons ible for the financial health of the organization. This fact means that he must sell his firm’s product, and this article is an advertisement for his firm. I feel that public relations programs are important for school success to a limited degree. The success of a school can be impacted by the amount of involvement from the community. However, in my experience, the most important involvement is individual, i.e. between parents and teachers. The intrusion of business into schools is detrimental as it affects the operation and goals of the school. Also, the general public does not understand the workings of the educational system and often public relations programs spend the majority of their time

Corporate Social Responsibility and Corporate Governance Research Paper

Corporate Social Responsibility and Corporate Governance - Research Paper Example CSR- related policies function as built-in, mechanisms through which the business evaluates and ensures that it operates actively in compliance with ethical standards, the law, and international expectations. As such, CRS activities are supposed to impact the stakeholders, environment, communities, consumers, employees and the overall public sphere positively. There are a number of goals that drive businesses into engaging in corporate citizenship. However, the key objective of the activity relates to the establishment of sustainable businesses, which, in fact, need healthy communities, markets, and economies. Some of the drivers of corporate social responsibility include enlightened self-interest, social investment, trust and transparency, and increased expectations of enterprises by the public according to ASOCIO (2004). There are various approaches that corporate entities can take in regard to social responsibility. While for example, some will opt for philanthropy, others will op t for a community-based development approach. Yet again, others will prefer to go the Creating Shared Value (CSV) way. Whichever method or approach is assumed, however, the organization somehow commits some of its resources for the good of other parties as earlier mentioned. Research on corporate social responsibility (CSR) has blossomed in the 21st century. There is also an increased interest in the topic by different firms and people as seen in table 1. This is attributed to various factors like pressure exerted on organizations to demonstrate high ethical standards and the increasing concern about CSR expressed by policymakers. Firms from developing countries are driven by heightened demands on forms exporting to their products to Europe and other western countries do document their compliance to high ethical standards so as to be competitive. Generally, various organizations develop and express CSR because of various factors that can be summarised as internal and external factor s. In this paper, three international companies namely Monsanto Company, Microsoft Corporation, and Coca-Cola Company will be used to illustrate the various arguments. All the three companies already have a CRS in place.   Why International firms are showing increasing interests in corporate social responsibility and corporate governance There are internal and external factors that are making or motivating international firms to show increasing interests in CSR and corporate governance. Internal factors include managers, shareholders, employees, customers, and suppliers while external factors include social, economic, cultural, legal/government regulations, technological, global standard and nongovernment organizations. Economic and Social factors Researchers have given a special attention to the connection between CSR and the financial performance of an organization.

A foodborne disease that is estimated to have infected one third of the human population Essay Example for Free

A foodborne disease that is estimated to have infected one third of the human population Essay Toxoplasmosis is a foodborne disease that is estimated to have infected one third of the human population (2). Not only does Toxoplasmosis infect humans, but it is also been found in almost all of the warm-blooded animals, primarily cats (3). Toxoplasmosis was first found in 1908 by Nicolle and Manceaux in the cells of the gundi, a type of rodent, in Brazil. It was also found by Splendore to be in the tissues of a rabbit. Fifteen years later, in 1923, a fatal case of toxoplasmosis was reported in a child. Finally in 1939, toxoplasmosis was identified as a cause of human disease (2). Toxoplasmosis seemed to first be described by Toxoplasmosis is caused by a parasite called Toxoplasma gondii. Toxoplasma gondii has two   types of hosts, a definitive and an intermediate. Cats are the only definitive hosts for Toxoplasma gondii meaning that only when the parasite infects the cat will it produce oocysts (eggs). Toxoplasma gondii will not produce eggs in other warm-blooded animals. When the cat digests food that contains this parasite, the Toxoplasma gondii inside of the cat will be released into the digestive tract where it will then multiply and produce oocysts in the small intestine. This process is called intraintestinal infection cycle. The parasite is released in large quantities through the feces. The cat will also start shedding oocysts after 3 days of being infected and will continue to shed for 10 to 14 days. T he oocysts are very resilient and can survive up to a year. Other oocysts in the cat penetrate deeper into the intestine and develop tachyzoite which is the parasite’s form of rapid growth. The tachyzoite spreads throughout the body and start the extraintestinal infection cycle. When the immune system responds, the tachyzoite go into their resting stage and become bradyzoites, which is a slow growing form (3). A human or any other intermediate host can then be exposed to the parasite through either eating meat contaminated with the parasite or accidently (or not) swallowing cat feces (1). The oocysts are not immediately infectious as they must first go through a process called sporulation which takes from one to five days. Once the sporulated oocysts are in the intermediate host, they develop tissue cysts which stay in the host for life (3). When Toxoplasma gondii enters the human host, tachyzoites begin to develop and infect various organs. The parasite then enters the brain and creates oocysts. It then establishes a â€Å"chronic infection† which taxes the immune system (4). Toxoplasmosis usually doesn’t show any for most people. Severe cases of toxoplasmosis usually develop in babies whose mother was infected by toxoplasmosis or by people with compromised immune systems such as people with HIV. Some people with mild cases of toxoplasmosis may exhibit flu-like symptoms with swollen nymph glands along with sore muscles for a month or more. However, the severe cases can cause individuals to develop encephalitis along with eye and other organ damage. Patients may begin to experience pain that is accompanied by a bright light along with reduced vision and redness of the eye (1). Toxoplasmosis 1 http://www.cdc.gov/parasites/toxoplasmosis/ 2 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2704023/?tool=pubmed 3 http://www.vet.cornell.edu/fhc/brochures/toxo.html 4 http://schizophreniabulletin.oxfordjournals.org/content/33/3/745.full Penicillium chrysogenum 5 http://botit.botany.wisc.edu/toms_fungi/nov2003.html 6 http://www.biology.ed.ac.uk/research/groups/jdeacon/microbes/penicill.htm 7 http://bioweb.uwlax.edu/bio203/s2008/kitzmann_step/

Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) Functions

Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) Functions The immune system is complex, containing thousands of components. On the whole this highly adaptive system works well, protecting the individual primarily against the threat of disease caused by infectious organisms (Wood, 2006). However, the immune system can deteriorate and fail should any component of this refined system be mutated or compromised. In this report, an overview of the immune system will be covered, along with an explanation of how the Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) functions specifically. An example of how the immune system can be compromised should the MHC molecule be short or absent will also be discussed with reference to a condition known as Bare Lymphocyte Syndrome. How the MHC molecule contributes to a healthy immune system will be discussed, along with the effect an MHC deficiency has and how this compromises the immune system at a molecular level. Reference will be made to a case study related to the Bare Lymphocyte Syndrome and a conclusion will be made as to how this condition links to the MHC molecule specifically. An Overview of the Immune System The immune system can be split into two systems of immunity, innate and adaptive immunity. Innate immunity is the first line of defence against pathogens in the body, preventing most infections occurring by eliminating the pathogen within hours of being encountered. This is achieved by firstly possessing external barriers to infections such as skin, mucosa, gut flora and lysozymes in tears. Secondly, the immune system mounts an immediate attack against any infectious sources entering the host via pre-existing defence mechanisms within the body. Phagocytosis is the major element contributing to innate immunity. This is the ingestion and destruction of microbes by phagocytes in a process by which the phagocyte attaches to the microbe in question, engulfs the microbe, kills the microbe and then degrades the microbe using proteolytic enzymes (Wood, 2006). This process is aided by complement proteins and opsonisation. Another part of the innate immune response is for inflammation to occur . This enables cells and soluble factors from the bloodstream to be enlisted at a particular tissue site in order to assist in the fight against infection. These can be local or systemic and cause vasodilation to occur at the site of infection; cause the endothelium to have increased expression of adhesion molecules in the cells lining the blood vessels; cause increased vascular permeability and cause chemotactic factors to be produced, therefore attracting cells into the tissue from the bloodstream (Wood, 2006). Overall, innate immunity is the first step in combating infection in the body; however a more specific system is often required. Acquired immunity occurs when a pathogen enters the body which the innate immune system cannot destroy, whether it is the pathogen has evolved a way of being avoided by the cells in the innate immune system or whether it be the pathogen expresses molecules similar to host cells as in the case of viruses. In such cases as these, acquired immunity is needed, where lymphocytes are used to identify, engulf and kill the pathogen in question. This is a more evolutionary advanced system compared to innate immunity. Two types of lymphocyte cells are employed in the acquired immune response; these are B lymphocyte cells, which are responsible for creating antibodies; and T lymphocyte cells, which are more complex in their receptor and require cell-to-cell contact. There are two types of T lymphocyte cells; those expressing CD4 molecules on their surface are referred to as Helper T cells or CD4 T cells, and those expressing CD8 molecules of their surface are referred to as cytotoxic T cells or CD8 T cells. The latter of these two T cells is important in the killing of virally infected cells (Kindt et. al., 2007). T cells recognise antigens by T cell Receptors (TcR) expressed on their surface; each T cell expresses only one TcR specifically. T cells do not recognise free antigens but recognise antigens associated with molecules on the surface of cells called Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) molecules (Wood, 2006). MHC molecules specifically for the human species are known as Human Leukocyte Antigens (HLA); these are located on chromosome 6 (Kindt et, al., 2007). The MHC constitutes important genetic components of the mammalian immune system. There are two types of MHC molecules, Class I and Class II MHC. Class I MHC molecules are glycoproteins expressed on the cell surface of most nucleated cells, whereas Class II MHC molecules are also glycoproteins but are restricted in their expression, primarily being found on cells of the immune system such as B cells, macropha ges, dendritic cells and monocytes (Wood, 2006). Class I and II MHC molecules bind to antigens derived from pathogens and present them to T lymphocytes (Sommer, 2005). CD8 T cells recognise antigens presented by Class I MHC molecules whereas CD4 T cells recognise antigens presented by Class II MHC molecules. MHC molecules play an important role in immune defence against intracellular pathogens, peptides derived from viral proteins and cancer infected cells. (Sommer, 2005). Antigen Presentation of MHC Class I An event involving generation of peptides from proteins in the cell and displaying these peptides on the plasma membrane is called antigen processing and presentation (Benjamini et al., 1996). MHC Class I molecules consists of HLA-A, HLA-B and HLA-C. HLA are cell surface heterodimers consisting of a polymorphic ÃŽ ± chain associated with a non-polymorphic ÃŽ ²2 microglobulin protein (Chaplin, 2010). In the antigen presentation pathway of MHC Class I, the viral protein is degraded into peptides through proteasome-mediated proteolysis which is then transported into the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) (fig 1). This transport process is facilitated by a transporter associated with antigen processing (TAP). Once in the ER, the translocated peptide binds to MHC Class I ÃŽ ± chains and ÃŽ ²2 microglobulin through momentary interaction of MHC Class I heterodimers and TAP (Chaplin, 2010). This momentary interaction is carried out with the help of Tapasin (fig 2). This binding of peptide and MHC Cl ass I results in structural changes; eventually leading to the dissociation of peptide-MHC Class I complex (Chaplin, 2010). This peptide-MHC Class I complex then migrates to the cell surface where it is recognised by CD8 T cells triggering the associated immune response. (Raghavan,1999). When the immune system is working correctly, pathogens entering the body will be destroyed rapidly. However, if a component of the immune system is compromised, devastating effects can be seen. An example of this was seen in the case study of Tatiana and Alexander Islayev; two siblings originally from Russia who were suffering from symptoms linked to Bare Lymphocyte Syndrome. Tatiana had severe bronchiectasis and a persistent cough which produced yellow-green sputum. She had been chronically ill since the age of 4 when she had begun to have repeated infections of the sinuses, middle ear and lungs, all due to a variety of respiratory viruses. Both Haemophilus influenza and Streptococcus pneumonia bacteria could be cultured from her sputum. She had been prescribed frequent antibiotic treatments to control her fevers and cough with no success. Her brother, Alexander was also showing the same symptoms. When their blood was examined, both children had elevated IgG levels with over 90% of their T cells being CD4 and only 10% being CD8. Both children expressed very small amounts of MHC Class I molecules in their cells but expressed MHC Class II molecules normally. When the childrens DNA was analysed, it was found that they both had a mutation in the TAP-2 gene. Type I Bare Lymphocyte Syndrome Bare Lymphocyte Syndrome (BLS) Type I also known as MHC Class I deficiency, is characterized by a severe down-regulation of MHC class I and/or class II molecules (Gadola et. al., 2000). Type 1 BLS is due to a defect confined to MHC class I molecules, while type 2 BLS shows down-regulation of MHC class II molecules. Like any other cell surface protein MHC class I molecules are synthesised in the rough endoplasmic reticulum (RER), modified in the Golgi apparatus and are transported in transport vesicles to the cell surface (Wood, 2006). MHC class I molecules bind to different sets of peptides. Translocation of peptides derived from degradation of cytosolic proteins from the cytoplasm into the RER is negotiated by transporter molecules known as transporter associated with antigen processing (TAP) molecules. TAP is a heterodimer consisting of two subunits, TAP-1 and TAP-2, which are encoded in the class II region of the MHC locus on chromosome 6. Deletion or mutation of either or both TA P-1 and TAP-2 proteins severely impairs the translocation of peptides into the RER, the result of which is reduced surface expression of MHC class I molecules (Gadola et. al., 2000). BLS is manifested as a combined immunodeficiency presenting early in life. BLS manifests during the first 6 years of life where affected individuals are susceptible to recurrent opportunistic bacterial infections especially of the upper respiratory tract. In BLS, the underlying cause of Class I deficiency is due to a nonsense mutation in the TAP (Clement et. al., 1988). As discussed earlier, TAP is involved in the critical step of transporting peptides to the inner lumen of ER. In BLS, the deficiencies of active TAP results in the impairment of the transport of peptide to ER. This inefficient transport means that few or no MHC Class I molecules can be complexed with peptides. The un-complexed MHC Class I molecules are highly unstable and are therefore degraded quickly. This ultimately results in low levels of peptide-MHC Class I complex being expressed on the plasma membrane. In this way, deficiency in active TAP leads to low antigen presentation via MHC Class I molecules resulting in inefficient activation of CD8 T lymphocytes and consequently a compromised immune response. The basis of bare lymphocyte syndrome can be concluded from protein coded genes that are transformed and are not able to control the expression of the MHC I genes. Till today a beneficial treatment of TAP deficiency is not yet available; gene therapy isnt possible as almost all of the HLA class I molecule express on nucleated cells. If there is damage to the bronchial and pulmonary tissue lung transplantation can be performed. Contact with tobacco and smoke should be avoided and also vaccinations should be performed against respiratory pathogens. Other than Bare lymphocyte syndrome, MHC class I allotype is also linked to various sero-negative spondarthropathies, such as Ankylosing spondylitis, Psoriatic Arthritis, Reiters Syndrome and Behcets syndrome.

Andrew Carnegie On The Gospel Of Wealth :: essays research papers

Andrew Carnegie was born in Dunfermline, Scotland in 1835. His father, Will, was a weaver and a follower of Chartism, a popular movement of the British working class that called for the masses to vote and to run for Parliament in order to help improve conditions for workers. The exposure to such political beliefs and his family's poverty made a lasting impression on young Andrew and played a significant role in his life after his family immigrated to the United States in 1848. Andrew Carnegie amassed wealth in the steel industry after immigrating from Scotland as a boy. He came from a poor family and had little formal education. The roots of Carnegie's internal conflicts were planted in Dunfermline, Scotland, where he was born in 1835, the son of a weaver and political radical who instilled in young Andrew the values of political and economic equality. His family's poverty, however, taught Carnegie a different lesson. When the Carnegies emigrated to America in 1848, Carnegie determined to bring prosperity to his family. He worked many small jobs which included working for the Pennsylvania Railroad where he first recognized the importance of steel. With this recognition, he resigned and started the Keystone Bridge Company in 1865. He built a steel-rail mill, and bought out a small steel company. By 1888, he had a large plant. Later on he sold his Carnegie Steel Company to J. P. Morgan's U.S. Steel Company after a serious, bloody union strike.He saw himself as a hero of working people, yet he crushed their unions. The richest man in the world, he railed against privilege. A generous philanthropist, he slashed the wages of the workers who made him rich. By this time, Carnegie was an established, successful millionaire. He was a great philanthropist, donating over $350 million dollars to public causes, opening libraries, money for teachers, and funds to support peace. In the end, he gave away about 90% of his own money to various causes. He also preached to others to do the same as in giving money for education and sciences.The problem, however, was that there was such a contrast between the rich and the poor. By this he was referring to the inequalities in rights, hereditary powers, and such things. He also felt we should have a continuum of forward progress, i.e. civilizing, industrializing.Apparently in his time there was a movement to drift back into a time when there was little advance in modernizing and technologically advancing; when "neither master nor servant was as well situated.

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AN ISO 9001 : 2008 CERTIFIED INTERNATIONAL B-SCHOOL MARKS: 80 Information Technology N. B. : 1)Attempt any sixteen questions questions carries equal marks. 1. 2. 3. What are the characteristics of a technologically enabled organization? How does an Organization acquire & disseminal knowledge? Why do you suppose inquiry – only applications were developed instead of fully on lines system? 4. 5. What kind of technology is least flexible? Most flexible? How does strategic planning differ between a firm that offers services & one that manufacturers a product?Is there a difference in the impact of technology on strategy in any two types of firms? 6. What kind of business activities do you think are most amenable to common systems in different countries? 7. What kind of programs do you think are likely to make the most use of floating – point instructions? 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. Distinguish between computer hardware & software which most concerns a manager? What kind of softwar e does a server for a local area network need to have? What is OLAP? How does it contribute to the organization? Similar article: Text Mining for BusinessesWhy are standards so important in communications? What industries are most likely able to take advantage EDI? Are there applications where it does not matter if multiple databases are simultaneously updated? 14. Most organizations today have computers and software, all of which are supposed to work on a network, from different Vendors? What are the potential problems with using products from many different sources? .. 2.. 15. What are the differences in design for multi-user system versus a personal system on a pc? )All 16. Does a system have to use the most modern technology to be successful? Why or why not? Are there disadvantages to utilizing the most up-to-date technology? 17. 18. 19. Why should one insist on a demonstration of a package? What is a spaghetti organization? How can you transform a huge firm like General Motors with the help of information technology? 20. How more user development eventually eliminates the need for professi onal systems analysis and programmers? 21. 22. 3. 24. How can a company use multimedia today? How does one go about identifying the expert to be used in developing an expert system? Describe how a virus actually works? What kind of files does it want to infect? What kind of changes does information technology either create or facilitate within and between organizations? What other changes are associate with IT? 25. What are the drawbacks of work place monitoring? Why management might wants to monitor worker productivity?